Anti SS-B antibody Test

The anti-SS-B antibody test is ordered in the following conditions:

• To differentiate primary Sjögren's syndrome from the secondary syndrome
• When a woman having lupus wishes to be pregnant; a baby of such a woman is at high risk of having neonatal lupus and may have temporary rashes, which could lead to congenital heart block.
• For an individual with lupus showing negative results for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA) test.

Your healthcare practitioner may also order this test along with other diagnostic tests to detect the possibility of Sjögren's syndrome. 

Depending on the glands affected, a person with Sjögren's syndrome will show the following symptoms:

Symptoms associated with the tear glands:

• Dry eyes
• Grittiness (feeling of sand in the eye)
• Pruritus (itchy sensation)
• Sensation of foreign body in the eyes
• Conjunctival infection
• Clouding of the cornea

Symptoms related to salivary glands:

• Dry mouth
• Difficulty in eating or swallowing (Read more: Dysphagia causes)
• Need for frequent sips of water
• Difficulty in speaking

Some other symptoms of Sjögren's syndrome are: 

• Pain and swelling in joints (Read more: Joint pain treatment)
• Stiffness in joints
• Skin rashes or dry skin
• Vaginal dryness
• Persistent dry cough
• Prolonged fatigue
• Swelling behind the jaw and in front of the ears

Tell your healthcare practitioner if you are consuming any prescribed, non-prescribed, or illicit medicines, vitamins and supplements.

Your healthcare practitioner will require a blood sample for the test. He/she will draw the required amount of blood from a vein in your arm and collect it in a tube labelled with your name and date of sampling. 

The whole process takes a few minutes. After the test, you may experience mild pain or bruise at the site of needle insertion; however, it will fade away on its own. 

Normal results:

A normal test result is indicated as negative. The titre value for the normal results in all age groups is less than 1 unit antibody.

Abnormal results:

An abnormal result is indicated as positive. The titre value of equal to or more than 1 unit antibody is considered abnormal. It indicates that a person has either Sjögren's syndrome or ANA-negative SLE. However, 15% of healthy individuals may also show positive results sometimes. On the other hand, titre value may fall during the treatment for Sjögren's syndrome indicating the effectiveness of the therapy.

Higher titre value in a person with Sjögren's syndrome is usually a sign of the severity of the disease.

Some other conditions which result in abnormal results in this test are:

• Systemic sclerosis
• RA
• Polymyositis
• Extreme sun sensitivity
• Subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus

So, it is best to talk to a doctor to get the correct interpretation of your test results.

Disclaimer: All results must be clinically correlated with the patient’s complaints to make a complete and accurate diagnosis. The above information is provided from a purely educational point of view and is in no way a substitute for medical advice by a qualified doctor.