SSA & SSB results in #'s instead of Positive/Negative???

[keithmarty]

I finally had blood tests done for Sjogren's. But have a question...

ANA was POSITIVE (1:40, "borderline low" though as my dr put it) with a SPECKLED pattern.

SSA & SSB results were given in NUMBERS instead of POSITIVE / NEGATIVE. The "limit" or "range" was indicated as >30 AU/mL and both of my numbers were less than 30. (SSA, 1 and SSB,

I had read that with ANA, if it is detectable in your blood, it is POSITIVE. So I would assume that the same would be true with SSA/SSB since they are antibodies.  I couldn't seem to find an answer, so I called the 800# on the lab report. Of course, they couldn't discuss my individual results (only my dr. can), but the representative confirmed my assumption. Basically, she said that the "trend" (she used a different word) has gone to using numbers instead of pos/neg, but "yes", if the SSA/SSB antibodies are detected in the blood, it is positive.

Does anyone disagree with this or know it is not accurate?

[quietdynamics]

Here is a link to SSA/SSB lab interpretation using the "AU/ML"  in the search:

For both SSA(Ro) and SSB (La)
Negative: 29 AU/mL or less

Equivocal: 30-40 AU/mL

Positive: 41 AU/mL or

http://labguide.fairview.org/showtest.asp?testid=3097

Hope this helps..I would talk to the Dr. who ordered the tests.

[Styx]

Those results are full-on negative.

Styx