Antineutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibodies (ANCA) Test

This test looks for antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in a sample of your blood. Antibodies are proteins that your immune system makes to fight foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria. But sometimes antibodies attack the healthy cells of your own tissues and organs by mistake.

This is called autoimmune disease. ANCAs attack healthy white blood cells called neutrophils. This can lead to a disorder called autoimmune vasculitis.

There are several types of autoimmune vasculitis, but they all cause inflammation and swelling in your blood vessels. When this happens, your blood vessels can narrow or close off. This can cause different types of serious health problems depending on which blood vessels in your body are affected.

There are two main kinds of ANCA called pANCA and cANCA. Each type targets a specific protein inside white blood cells. An ANCA test can show whether you have one or both types of antibodies.

This information helps your health care provider diagnose which type of autoimmune vasculitis you have so you can get the right treatment. Testing for pANCA can also help diagnose certain types of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). IBD is a group of chronic (long-lasting) autoimmune diseases that cause swelling and irritation in your stomach and intestines.

Why this test is done

If you have symptoms of autoimmune vasculitis, you may need an ANCA test. Symptoms may develop slowly or quickly. They may be mild or severe.

General symptoms may include:

• Fatigue
• Fever
• General aches and pains
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss

Other symptoms depend on which type of vasculitis you have and which parts of your body are affected. Symptoms in some commonly affected areas include:

• Eyes, ears, and nose
• Changes in vision or loss of vision
• Red and/or itching, burning eyes
• Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
• Hearing loss
• Dizziness
• Sinus infections
• Skin
• Rashes or hives
• Itching
• Bruises
• Lungs
• Coughing up blood
• Shortness of breath
• Kidneys
• Blood in the urine (pee)
• Foamy urine, which is caused by protein in the urine
• Nervous system
• Numbness, tingling, and/or weakness in different parts of the body
• Shooting pains in the arms and legs
• Stomach and intestines
• Open sores in the mouth
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting blood

You may also need an ANCA test if you have symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which may include:

• Abdominal (belly) pain
• Diarrhea
• Weight loss
• Blood in stool (poop)
• Fever

How to prepare

You usually don't need any special preparations for an ANCA test. But ANCA testing may be done with other blood tests. Your provider will let you know if you need to prepare.

Sample type

Blood

Other names for this test

ANCA antibodies, cANCA, pANCA, cytoplasmic neutrophil antibodies, serum, anticytoplasmic autoantibodies