Autoimmune Analyzer

The Autoimmune Analyzer is a comprehensive blood panel designed to map how your immune system is behaving when it begins to mistake your own tissues for foreign threats. Autoimmune diseases are not driven by a single signal. They emerge from patterns of antibodies, immune activity, and inflammation that often evolve years before a formal diagnosis. This panel is built to detect those patterns early and to help distinguish between different autoimmune pathways.

At the center of the panel is the ANA screen, short for antinuclear antibody. Antinuclear antibodies are immune proteins that bind to structures inside the nucleus of your cells. A positive ANA does not mean you have an autoimmune disease, but it signals immune dysregulation and opens the door to more specific testing. Many healthy people can have a low positive ANA, which is why interpretation always depends on context and follow up markers.

Several tests in this panel help clarify that context. Double stranded DNA antibodies and chromatin antibodies target DNA and DNA protein complexes. These antibodies are strongly associated with systemic lupus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease in which immune attacks can affect the kidneys, joints, skin, brain, and blood vessels. Rising levels often correlate with disease activity, meaning they can reflect flares rather than just risk.

The panel also includes SSA (Ro) and SSB (La) antibodies, which are most commonly linked to Sjögren’s syndrome. Sjögren’s is an autoimmune condition that targets moisture producing glands, leading to dry eyes and dry mouth, but these antibodies are also seen in lupus and other connective tissue diseases. Importantly, SSA antibodies can be present even when ANA is negative, making them easy to miss without targeted testing.

Sm and RNP antibodies are directed against proteins involved in RNA processing. Sm antibodies are highly specific for lupus, meaning they are rarely found outside of it, even though they are not very sensitive. RNP antibodies are seen in lupus but are especially associated with mixed connective tissue disease, a condition that blends features of lupus, scleroderma, and inflammatory muscle disease.

Autoimmune diseases can also target connective tissue and blood vessels. Centromere B antibodies are most often linked to limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis, sometimes called CREST syndrome, which primarily affects skin, blood vessels, and the gastrointestinal tract. Scleroderma antibodies, typically referring to anti topoisomerase I, are associated with diffuse systemic sclerosis and higher risk of lung involvement.

Jo 1 antibodies point toward autoimmune muscle disease, particularly polymyositis and antisynthetase syndrome. These conditions involve immune mediated muscle inflammation and can also affect the lungs, joints, and skin. Muscle weakness and exercise intolerance are common early features.

Autoimmunity does not stop at connective tissue. The inclusion of thyroid peroxidase antibodies, also called TPO antibodies, helps detect autoimmune thyroid disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Graves’ disease. These antibodies often appear years before thyroid hormone levels become abnormal, making them an early warning signal rather than a marker of current thyroid function.

To understand how active the immune system is, the panel measures complement C3 and C4. Complement proteins are part of the innate immune system and help antibodies clear targets. In active lupus and some other autoimmune diseases, complement levels drop because they are being consumed by ongoing immune reactions. Low complement levels often signal immune complex driven inflammation, especially when paired with positive autoantibodies.

The panel also includes rheumatoid factor, an antibody that targets other antibodies. Rheumatoid factor is classically associated with rheumatoid arthritis, but it can also appear in other autoimmune diseases and chronic infections. On its own it is nonspecific, but in combination with symptoms and other markers it adds important context.

Finally, ribosomal P antibodies are highly specific for lupus and are particularly associated with neuropsychiatric manifestations such as mood changes or cognitive symptoms and with liver involvement. Although they are less commonly measured, when present they provide strong diagnostic clarity.

Taken together, this panel does not simply ask whether autoimmunity exists. It asks where the immune system is misfiring, how intense the activity may be, and which organs are most likely involved. That makes it especially useful for early detection, unclear symptoms, overlapping autoimmune syndromes, and long term monitoring in people focused on preserving healthspan and minimizing irreversible tissue damage.