DNA (Double Strand) AntibodyNcX DNASerum - DS DNA CTX Test in Pondichery

The anti-dsDNA test is used to check disease movement in a person who has been diagnosed with lupus. Those with lupus often have flare-ups in which symptoms worsen and then diminish. In particular, this test can be used to monitor lupus nephritis which is a critical complication of lupus that can damage the kidney and cause inflammation. Damage in the kidney can cause protein in the urine, high blood pressure, and kidney failure.

Your doctor may recommend this test for you if have been tested positive for ANA. The symptoms include:

• Extreme fatigue
• Joint pain
• Butterfly shaped rash on the nose
• Skin sensitivity to light

Anti-double stranded DNA antibody (anti-dsDNA) is one of the autoantibodies called ANA (antinuclear antibodies). Usually, antibodies protect against infection, but autoantibodies are produced when a person's immune system fails to sufficiently distinguish between "self" and "non-self." They wrongly attack the body's own healthy cells, causing tissue and organ damage. Anti-dsDNA specially targets the genetic material (DNA) found in the nucleus of a cell, hence the name "anti-dsDNA." The anti-dsDNA test identifies the presence of these autoantibodies in the blood.

While anti-dsDNA may be present in less quantities with a number of disorders, it is primarily associated with lupus. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorder that can affect various tissues and/or organs of the body such as the kidneys, joints, blood vessels, skin, heart, lungs, and the brain. The test for anti-dsDNA, along with other autoantibody tests, also helps establish a diagnosis of lupus and distinguish it from other autoimmune disorders.