antinuclear antibodies

[aussiepartner]

Hi. This is my first post. My partner has been having fasiculations and muscle tightness in his legs for a couple of months but no weakness. His mother died of MND and there is some possibility that her father also had MND (died age 87, in a wheelchair with difficulties speaking).

Yesterday we got results from some blood tests. All were normal except he tested positive to antinuclear antibodies. Does anyone know what this might mean?

His doctor is requesting more blood tests and an EMG.

I am so worried that this is MND. We have 2 beautiful daughters (almost 2 and 4).

[wright]

Testing positive for antinuclear antibodies means that you might have some kind of an autoimmune disorder . . . and there are many of them . . . all of them treatable. This would point away from ALS.

[crystalkk]

I agree with Wright, you might want to schedule an appointment with a rhematoligist.
His father might have had an autoimmune disease as well, not MND.

[aussiepartner]

Thank you for your replies. It is hard to clearly remember what was said in the doctors office. This gives us hope that it is something other than mnd. I guess we will have a better idea after the emg.