[Restlessrebel]

High ANA titer and smoldering multiple myeloma

by Restlessrebel on Fri Feb 26, 2016 1:16 am

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone else have a high ANA titer along with their smoldering multiple myeloma.

Mine is and has been 1:320 for some time. The norm is 1:40. I am being seen by a rheu­ma­tologist and they have tested me inside and out for any and all autoimmune diseases. None detected. I wondering if there is a correlation here that I am missing.

I also have a very low IgM level at 25 and it is decreasing steadily.

Thank you to whomever responds. I am grateful you folks who are on here. We are better together!

[CathyAnn]

Re: High ANA titer and smoldering multiple myeloma

by CathyAnn on Fri Feb 26, 2016 6:04 pm

Positive ANA tests are common; about 5% of the population has a positive test and only about 20% of them (1% of the population) has an underlying disorder to explain it. A positive ANA can occasionally be associated with lymphomas, some kinds of leukemia, myeloma, and a few other lymphoproliferative disorders (which are disorders where there are abnormal lymphocytes for various reasons). Since 80% of people with a positive ANA have it without any associated disease, it could just be a coincidence or it could be related to the myeloma.

As a practical matter, it's probably only important if one assumed it was related to the myeloma but there was something else causing it and that got overlooked. If your rheumatologist has ruled everything else out, it may not really matter whether they are related or coincidental. I doubt it would change your risk for progression or management of the myeloma (though you'd have to ask your hematologist to be sure).