Assessment of Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Levels in Patients from Al-Bayda, Libya
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65405/.v10i37.519Keywords:
Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) ،Autoimmune Diseases ،Prevalence، Libya ،Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA) ،Demographic Factors، SeroprevalenceAbstract
This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the prevalence and distribution of
antinuclear antibody (ANA) levels among patients referred for laboratory testing at a
specialized medical laboratory in Al-Bayda, Libya, during 2024-2025. A retrospective
analysis of 244 patient records was conducted, examining age, sex, test year, and ANA results
(categorized as normal or elevated). The findings revealed that the overwhelming majority of
tested individuals (92.2%) exhibited ANA levels within normal reference ranges, while only a
small subset (7.8%) showed elevated levels. The study population demonstrated a mean age
of 42.3 years with a notable female predominance (71.7%). Among the 19 positive cases,
females showed higher positivity rates (9.1%) compared to males (4.3%), and individuals
aged ≥40 years constituted 63% of positive results. However, statistical analysis indicated no
significant associations between ANA positivity and sex (χ² = 2.15, p = 0.14) or age (t = 1.32,
p = 0.19). The observed ANA positivity rate (7.8%) was notably lower than rates reported
from other Libyan cities (9-11%) and international benchmarks. These findings highlight the
need for expanded multicenter studies across Libya to better understand regional variations in
autoimmune disease prevalence and improve diagnostic capabilities
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