antinuclear antibodies (ANA) subserologies are usually prescribed to diagnose patients with different kind of symptoms. However, these test should not be ordered as a routine, specially, in those patients without positivity to antinuclear antibodies.

According to a recent  paper published  in  Arthritis Care & Research, different expensive procedures should not be prescribed, as a routine, because do not provide meaningful benefit to patients. The list of tests includes: tests for Lyme disease without a history of exposure, MRIs of peripheral joints as routine monitoring tests, prescribing biologic drugs for RA before trying non-biologic medications first, repeat DEXA scans at less than two-year intervals, and performing «the blood test known as antinuclear antibody (ANA) sub-serologies without a positive ANA and clinical suspicion of immune disease.»