Seroprevalence of antinuclear antibodies among Lagos residents
Authors:
OGUNSOLA Oluseyi
Publication Type: Journal article
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0
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Abstract
Autoimmune diseases are the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the industrialized world, only surpassed by cancer and heart disease. Autoimmune processes and mechanisms are considered as contributing factors in some cases of unexplained infertility in both men and women. Antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) are venerable biomarkers for assessing the diagnosis and prognosis of patients with autoimmunity. The study aim is to determine the seroprevalence of antinuclear antibodies among Lagos residents. The study enrolled 749 patients of the prenatal diagnosis therapy centre, College of Medicine of the University of Lagos. 522 females and 227 males participated in this experiment. The patients were otherwise healthy patients. Antinuclear antibodies were determined by the standard ELISA- methods. Levels for antinuclear antibodies (ANA) were measured by commercially used enzyme tubes. 528 (70.5%) tested positive for the ANA while 221 (29.5%) tested negative. 155 (68.3%) out of 227 males and 373 (71.5%) out of 522 females were tested positive for ANA. There was however no statistically significant (p> 0.05) relationship between age of respondents and the ANA IgG assay levels; and between sex and ANA IgG assay levels. In conclusion, ANA is highly prevalent among Lagos residents.