Learn about the anti-Jo-1 . antibody test

Anti-Jo-1 antibody is a form of soluble anti-antibody antibody that is common in people with conditions such as severe autoimmune myositis or autoimmune interstitial pneumonia. Anti-Jo-1 antibody testing plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of autoimmune diseases.

As noted above, Jo-1 antibodies are one of the hallmarks of polymyositis and are most common in patients with myositis with interstitial lung disease. The prevalence of Jo-1 antibodies in cases of interstitial lung fibrosis or symmetrical arthritis is up to 50%.
The Jo-1 antibody test is a test done to measure the amount of anti-Jo-1 antibodies in the blood. Jo-1 (histidyl tRNA synthetase) belongs to the group of amino acyl-tRNA synthetase enzymes and can be found in all nucleated cells.

Usually, when a patient has symptoms of autoimmune interstitial pneumonia or has a positive ANA test result, the doctor will order an anti-Jo-1 antibody test. Some common symptoms of autoimmune interstitial pneumonia include:
Feeling short of breath when doing heavy work such as climbing stairs, doing heavy exercise. Gradually, there will be a feeling of shortness of breath even during daily activities such as changing clothes, bathing, talking and eating Frequent muscle aches, fatigue, unexplained weight loss Dry cough Drumstick Fingers Skin, lips, nails are purple

Anti-Jo-1 antibody test consists of 2 steps: Blood test and urine test.
3.1 Blood test Your arm will be wrapped around by the doctor with an elastic bandage to block the flow of blood. At that time, the veins below the bandage will be larger, making it easier to insert the needle into the vein to draw blood more easily.
The injection site is disinfected with alcohol before the needle is inserted into the vein. The doctor will draw a sufficient amount of blood into the syringe, then remove the original wrapped elastic bandage, place a cotton swab soaked in medical alcohol on the puncture site, and withdraw the needle.

3.2 Urinalysis There are two ways to test for anti-Jo-1 antibodies which are with a 2-hour or 24-hour urine sample.
For a 24-hour urine sample that means testing and analyzing all of your urine within 24 hours. The best time to start collecting urine is in the morning. However, the first pass of urine after waking up does not need to be inspired, but just to mark the time. From that point on, you will collect urine for the next 24 hours.
The laboratory will provide you with a large flask with a capacity of about 4 liters containing a small amount of preservative inside. You should collect urine in a small clean, dry jar and then pour it into a large container. Be careful not to let your hands touch the inside of the container.
The urine sample container should be kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours. When the 24 hour period is coming to an end, you empty your bladder again and add this urine to the flask, and record the end time.
You should be careful not to let menstrual blood, pubic hair, feces, toilet paper or other impurities get into the urine sample.
For a 2-hour urine sample, the sample collection process is also done in the same way as above, only instead of collecting a urine sample within 24 hours, the patient only needs to collect the amount of urine within a period of time. 2 hours that the doctor recommends.

4.1 Before taking the test In order not to affect the test results, the patient should note a few things before taking the sample:
Do not use stimulants such as alcohol, tobacco within at least 24 hours before the test. If you have a blood test, you need to fast for at least 2 hours before. Tell your doctor about all medications (including prescription and non-prescription) you are taking. The anti-Jo-1 antibody test is not effective in patients with a negative antinuclear antibody test result. 4.2 After the test The blood test is a relatively simple technique, so there are very few problems during venipuncture.
After blood collection, the blood collection site may be slightly bruised. However, this condition will go away quickly and often without leaving any consequences.

Depending on gender, age, medical history or testing methods, test results may have certain differences.
However, the normal range of anti-Jo-1 antibodies is <1.0U. Likewise, if the anti-Jo-1 antibody test result is > 1.0U, it is considered abnormal.
In any suspected case, the patient should immediately go to a reputable medical facility to have an anti-Jo-1 antibody test, thereby having a timely treatment plan.
To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact Vinmec Health System nationwide, or register online HERE.
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