Causes of Positive Antinuclear Antibodies

1. Rheumatic diseases

Systemic lupus erythematosus
Polymyositis
Sjogren's syndrome
Scleroderma
Vasculitis
Rheumatoid arthritis

2. Normal, healthy individuals

Females > males, prevalence increases with age
Relatives of patients with rheumatic diseases
? Pregnant females

3. Drug-induced

4. Hepatic diseases

Chronic active hepatitis
Primary biliary cirrhosis
Alcoholic liver disease

5. Pulmonary diseases

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Asbestos-induced fibrosis
Primary pulmonary hypertension

6. Chronic infections

7. Malignancies

Lymphoma
Leukemia
Melanoma
Solid tumors (ovary, breast, lung, kidney)

8. Hematologic disorders

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura
Autoimmune hemolytic anemia

9. Miscellaneous

Endocrine disorders (type I diabetes mellitus, Graves' disease)
Neurologic diseases (multiple sclerosis)
End-stage renal failure
After organ transplantation

Anemia and Hepatitis C Treatment
In opposition to what seems logical, research demonstrates that becoming anemic while on Hepatitis C therapy is not such a bad thing.

Bristol-Myers Gains Momentum with All-Oral Hep C Therapy
In a recent study, over one third of previous non-responders cleared Hepatitis C with an interferon-free combo of two Bristol-Myers experimental drugs.

Hepatitis C Gains Access to Brain Cells
Helping to explain why Hepatitis C can cause extrahepatic manifestations (problems outside of the liver), American researchers confirmed that certain brain cells are susceptible to the Hepatitis C virus.