During periods of high MS lesion acivity the ANA scores will be elavated.

In fact it has been proposed that the high ANA might be a good indicator of "active" lesions.

It would be a lot cheaper than a MRI.

jackD


Neurology. 1997 Sep;49(3):857-61.

Frequency and significance of antinuclear antibodies in multiple sclerosis.

Collard RC, Koehler RP, Mattson DH.
SourceDepartment of Neurology, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, NY, USA.

Abstract
In a prospective sample of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) we found a high frequency of antinuclear antibodies (ANA), 22.5%, confirming results from previous studies. ANA occurrence did not correlate with gender, age, duration of MS, MS course, or disability in either the prospective and retrospective samples of MS patients.

In 16 patients with MS tested at two time points, ANA occurrence did correlate with MS disease activity.

This suggests that the high frequency of ANA in MS reflects ongoing immune dysregulation.

Comment in
Neurology. 1998 Aug;51(2):650.
PMID:9305354[PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]