Autoimmune Disease Marker Is On the Rise in the United States

The prevalence of antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) has increased significantly in the United States over the past 25 years, particularly among men, non-Hispanic white individuals, adults aged 50 years or older, and adolescents, according to research conducted at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS).¹

The study included 14,211 individuals aged 12 years or older who had participated in the 1988-1991, 1994-2004, or 2011-2012 US National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Using immunofluorescence, the researchers examined the frequencies at which participants showed the presence of ANAs during the 3 timeframes.

The researchers found that ANA prevalence during the 1988 to 1991 timeframe was 11.0%, during the 1999 to 2004 timeframe was 11.5%, and during the 2011 to 2012 timeframe was 15.9%.

The greatest increase in ANAs was among adolescents aged 12 to 19 years, who had an odds ratio of 2.02 during the 1999 to 2004 timeframe and an odds ratio of 2.88 during the 2011 to 2012 timeframe, relative to the 1988 to 1991 timeframe.¹ The researchers suggest that lifestyle and environmental changes may be largely responsible.²

“The reasons for the increases in ANA are not clear, but they are concerning and may suggest a possible increase in future autoimmune disease,” said corresponding and senior author Frederick Miller, MD, PhD, in a press release.² “These findings could help us understand more about the causes of these immune abnormalities and possibly learn what drives development of autoimmune diseases and how to prevent them.”

—Rebecca Mashaw

References

1. Dinse GE, Parks CG, Weinberg CR, et al. Increasing prevalence of antinuclear antibodies in the United States [published online April 7, 2020]. Arthritis Rheumatol. https://doi.org/10.1002/art.41214
2. Autoimmunity may be rising in the United States. News release. National Institutes of Health; April 8, 2020. https://www.nih.gov/news-events/news-releases/autoimmunity-may-be-rising-united-states