Assessment of Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Levels in Patients from Al-Bayda, Libya

Authors

  • Noor-alhooda Milood Al-awkally Department of Medial laboratory, Higher Institute of Science and Technology, Suluq, Libya Author
  • Khalid Saleh Gharib Department of chemistry, Faculty of science, Derna University Author
  • Abeer Alawkally Department of Veterinary Medical Sciences, Higher Institute of Agricultural Technology, Derna, Libya Author
  • Maree DokallyAli Department of Medial laboratory, Higher Institute of Science and Technology, Suluq, Libya Author
  • Salma M Elmahdawi Department of Medial laboratory, Higher Institute of Science and Technology, Suluq, Libya Author
  • sarah . Elmahdawi Department of Medial laboratory, Higher Institute of Science and Technology, Suluq, Libya Author
  • Leenah. M. Al mehdaowi Department of Medial laboratory, Higher Institute of Science and Technology, Suluq, Libya Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.65405/j85tjp49

Keywords:

Antinuclear Antibody (ANA)، Autoimmune Diseases، Prevalence، Libya، Indirect Immunofluorescence Assay (IFA)، Demographic Factors، Seroprevalence.

Abstract

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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References

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Published

2025-11-25

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 37 (2025): Comprehensive Journal of Science

Section

مؤتمر

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Copyright (c) 2025 Comprehensive Journal of Science

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Assessment of Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Levels in Patients from Al-Bayda, Libya. (2025). Comprehensive Journal of Science, 10(37), 4136-4143. https://doi.org/10.65405/j85tjp49