Does a Negative ANA mean a negative for MG or are the specific antibody tests different.
Hello, I have been having crazy and life changing symptoms within a week after my vaccine in 2021 ( Pfizer).
Blurred/double vision
Eyelid droop-steroids help
Weakness
Tremors
Cognitively I feel I have lost 1/6 of myself
Skin feels numb, tingling, and painful prickly.
All of these come and go. Sometimes in large flare ups.
Had a CT for MS with a CVT related nerve the clot had passed. Idk if I am having Tia’s or if it may be MS still.
So I had very basic rheumatologist bloodwork and my ANA came back negative.
Does this denounce that you can carry the MG antibodies or are they a separate test where ANA doesn’t play a main part.
Will be seeing a new NEURO as well soon.
I am just no longer the person I used to be. I want my life back before that shot. I was first diagnosed bells Paulsy until it kept repeating.
Just reallly curious about the ANA I will chat with my doctor but I am also trying to find anything myself to be tested for.
Thank you!
I have seen well over a hundred people on MG forums share about their worsened symptoms or the start of their MG after Covid vaccines.
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I have recently been doing a lot of research on ANA and MG. I personally test high for ANA, antinuclear antibodies, a type of autoantibody. "Autoantibodies are antibodies (immune proteins) that mistakenly target and react with a person's own tissues or organs" https://www.testing.com/tests/autoantibodies/. That is what happens with MG, "With myasthenia gravis (MG), the body attacks areas where nerves communicate with muscles" https://myasthenia-gravis.com/basics.
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There is little scientific research on the terms Myasthenia gravis and ANA. Most sources state that "ANA may be positive with a variety of autoimmune diseases, including lupus, Sjögren syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and autoimmune hepatitis" https://www.testing.com/tests/autoantibodies/. But does that include MG? I am not sure, and I have been having trouble getting a clear answer on this lately. My doctor suggests I look into testing for an additional autoimmune disease as they do not believe the ANA to be linked to MG. But some studies claim MG to be associated with the positive ANA, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2822250/#:~:text=The%20systemic%20lupus%20erythematosus%20(SLE,(ANA)%20and%20thymus%20hyperplasia.
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I would say MG patients can be both ANA positive and negative. "Two things that go wrong in the body can lead to myasthenia gravis: antibodies and the thymus gland" https://myasthenia-gravis.com/causes. I base this on that from what I read, I think the characteristic MG antibodies (1) Acetylcholine receptor (AChR), (2) Muscle-specific tyrosine kinase (MuSK), (3) low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 4 (LRP4), all autoantibodies, would show up as positive ANA if either were positive.
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Suppose you were diagnosed with seronegative MG, meaning none of the common MG antibodies are positive. In that case, I think your ANA could test negative. However, a positive ANA test could require a certain amount of antibodies.
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I would not let a positive or negative ANA result affect an MG diagnosis determination. https://myasthenia-gravis.com/diagnosis. If you test positive for ANA like me, it could warrant looking into possible additional autoimmune conditions. But MG, if I am correct, could also cause a positive ANA result. Anyone, please chime in if you have more information or knowledge.- Jodi, Team Member
