A specific antibody or protein, sometimes found in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

Antibodies that are in the bloodstream of people who have connective tissue diseases or certain autoimmune disorders.

Antinuclear antibodies react against normal components of the cell nucleus. The may be present in a number of immunologic diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, and certain collagen diseases, and in about 1% of normal individuals. If you have systemic lupus erythematosus, it can be transmitted through the placenta to the baby, resulting in heart problems.

Antibodies a person makes that react with the very nucleus of that person's cells.

Anti-nuclear antibodies are antibodies directed against the cell nucleus. They are raised in several conditions, usually in an auto-immune condition where the immune system makes antibodies to fight its own body. Normally a test (see External Links) is administered in people with many arthritic type symptoms or skin rashes to exclude systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE).The rashes could be over both cheeks and shaped like a butterfly, or a wolf.