Most lupus patients are familiar with the dsDNA antibody blood test. Like the ANA result, it is a blood test most closely related to lupus. Occasionally a positive dsDNA result can be seen in other conditions. But, the presence of a dsDNA antibody is considered specific for a diagnosis of lupus. As there are multiple ways a lab may detect a dsDNA, there still remains the possibility of a false positive, but a positive dsDNA result warrants a trip to the rheumatologist. (Reminder = “false positive” simply means the test is positive, yet the patient doesn’t have the condition associated with that result) Patients often are referred to a rheumatologist with a notebook full of labs, mostly of all varieties of antibodies and it is overwhelming.
The dsDNA antibody is an antibody against the double stranded DNA that is found in all of our cells. By definition, it is considered an “anti-nuclear antibody.” It is very rare to have a negative ANA result yet a positive dsDNA antibody. It is most closely related to Lupus but it can also be seen in Sjogren’s Syndrome or Scleroderma.
