Anti-dsDNA Antibody Test (Double-Stranded DNA Antibody)

This test measures the level of IgG antibodies directed against double-stranded (native) DNA in your serum, using an immunoassay. Quest reports the result in IU/mL and classifies it as negative (4 IU/mL or less), indeterminate (5 to 9 IU/mL) or positive (10 IU/mL or more). These antibodies are an autoimmune marker: they are not normally present in meaningful amounts in healthy people.

People who have had a positive ANA and whose clinician wants to look for lupus-specific antibodies; people with symptoms that can suggest lupus, such as joint pain and swelling, a facial 'butterfly' rash, sun-sensitive rashes, mouth sores, unexplained fevers, hair loss or chest pain when breathing deeply; and people already diagnosed with lupus who are tracking disease activity with their clinician, typically alongside C3 and C4.

Usually after a positive ANA, or when lupus is being considered because of symptoms. People with diagnosed lupus may repeat it at intervals set by their rheumatologist to follow disease activity, often together with complement C3 and C4, a CBC and a urinalysis. No fasting or timing around meals is needed.

A negative result means anti-dsDNA antibodies were not detected above the cut-off. It does not rule out lupus: some people with lupus are anti-dsDNA negative, and diagnosis rests on the full clinical picture. An indeterminate result falls in a borderline zone and is often repeated or interpreted alongside other antibody tests. A positive result is strongly associated with lupus, especially active disease, but anti-dsDNA can also appear in other conditions, and test specificity varies by method. A positive result should be reviewed with a clinician, usually a rheumatologist, who will consider your symptoms, ANA, complement levels, blood counts and urine findings before drawing any conclusion. In people already diagnosed, rising levels together with falling C3/C4 can signal increasing activity. JustLabs results are informational and are not a diagnosis.