Abstract
Objective: To determine the positivity and frequency of ANA in various autoimmune diseases in children.
Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study carried out at Medical and Immunology & Serology Departments, The Children's Hospital and The Institute of Child Health, Lahore over a period of 6 months. More than 200 blood samples were taken from different Medical wards and Medical outdoor departments and serology for ANA Elisa testing was done. Out of them, only ANA positive patients were selected. Information recorded in a pre-designed proforma and data was analyzed by SPSS version 16.
Results: Out of 200 patients 45 (22.5%) were ANA positive. Among 45 ANA positive patients, 25 (55.6%) had the diagnosis of SLE, 9 (20%) had MCTD, 5 (11.1%) had Scleroderma, 4 (8.9%) had dermatomyositis, 2 (4.4%) had Polymyositis. A female predominance was also noted with a female to male ratio of 3: 1.2. Age of study population ranged from 3 (minimum) to 16 (maximum) years with mean age of 10.29 +/- 3.80 years.
Conclusion: ANA Elisa test can be used as a screening tool in clinically suspected rheumatic diseases in children.