부산대학교 도서관

Background: Antinuclear antibody (ANA) is a common test for excluding alternative diagnoses. However, the significance of ANA testing in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) remains unclear. Objectives: To compare the prevalence of positive ANA antibody and its titer between patients with MS (cases) and non-MS patients who attended neurology clinics (control) in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A case-control review of ANA results for all patients who attended a neurology MS clinic. We compared a convenience sample of patients with MS with individuals with general neurology problems and no known autoimmune diseases. Results: There were 115 and 103 participants in the MS and control group, respectively. The mean age in the MS and control group was 33.76 ± 8.96 years and 34.95 ± 8.56 years, respectively. In the MS group, 25.22%, 60%, 11.30%, and 3.48% were negative, mildly positive, moderately positive, and strongly positive for ANA, respectively. In the control group, there were 34.95%, 54.37%, and 10.68% were negative, mild positive, and moderate positive, respectively. There were numerically, but not significantly, more positive cases in the MS group (74.78%) than in the control group (65.05%) (p = .117). Conclusion: ANA testing in routine MS screening for excluding alternative diagnoses should be discouraged unless there is a remarkable history or clinical examination finding. Mild positive ANA is common among patients with MS and does not significantly differ from the general population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]