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Review
. 2023 Jan 9:9:1071115.
doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.1071115. eCollection 2022.

Reliability and reproducibility of antinuclear antibody testing in pediatric rheumatology practice

Barbara E Ostrov  1
Affiliations
Review

Reliability and reproducibility of antinuclear antibody testing in pediatric rheumatology practice

Barbara E Ostrov. Front Med (Lausanne). .

Abstract

Antinuclear antibody (ANA) testing is common practice among health care practitioners when evaluating children and adolescents with non-specific symptoms including fatigue and aches and pains. When positive, ANA results often lead to referrals to pediatric rheumatologists as these antibodies may be key indicators for specific pediatric rheumatologic diagnoses. The reliability and reproducibility of ANA tests varies with assay techniques and validation and interpretation of results. In the following article, review of ANA testing in pediatrics is provided along with case examples that demonstrate the reliability and reproducibility of these results in specific scenarios common in the practice of pediatric rheumatology. Guidelines for more accurate utilization of ANA testing are presented with the aim to improve testing and interpretation by ordering clinicians.

Keywords: Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis; antinuclear antibodies; immunofluorescence assay; multiplex assay; pediatric rheumatology; pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus; reliability; reproducibility.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A, B) Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of ANA testing.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Algorithm for ANA testing in pediatric rheumatology. Two-step testing: ANA must be tested by IFA and subsequent antibodies can be tested by ELISA and/or Multiplex Assay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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