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Clinicians frequently obtain ANA (antinuclear antibody) tests in patients who have nonspecific arthralgias or constitutional symptoms. But what is the clinical course of patients whose tests are clearly positive but who have no convincing clinical features of connective tissue disease?
Researchers in Canada identified 116 patients who had high-titer ANA results (≥1:640) but no clinical evidence of connective tissue disease. An average of 5 years later, they were able to contact, interview, and retest 53 patients: 48 remained ANA-positive, 34 complained of arthritis, 11 noted Raynaud's phenomenon, and 10 described rashes (most of which were not typical for lupus). Between the initial ANA test and this follow-up survey, 3 patients were formall…