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Blood Test Tracker

Anti-SSA/Ro Antibody

Looks for antibodies to the Ro (SSA) protein. They are common in Sjögren's disease and lupus, and they matter for pregnancy planning.

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert reviewAlso called SSA, SS-A, Anti-RoLOINC 17792-3

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What it is

Ro, also called SSA, is a protein found inside many cells. Anti-SSA/Ro antibodies are autoantibodies, which means your immune system makes antibodies against your own proteins. There are two main targets, called Ro52 and Ro60. Some labs report them together as one SSA result, and some report each one on its own. The test is often ordered after a positive ANA, or when someone has dry eyes, dry mouth, or joint or skin symptoms.

Why it matters

Anti-SSA/Ro is one of the most useful clues for Sjögren's disease (also called Sjögren's syndrome). It is worth 3 points in the 2016 ACR/EULAR classification criteria, tied for the highest weight of any item. It is also common in lupus. A positive result also matters for pregnancy, because the antibodies can cross the placenta. In studies of pregnancies with these antibodies, about 1 to 2 in 100 had a baby with congenital heart block, a problem with the baby's heart rhythm. Care teams often plan extra monitoring because of this. These antibodies can also be found in some people with no known condition, so a result is never read alone.

If it’s high

A positive result means your blood has antibodies to Ro/SSA. They are most often seen in Sjögren's disease and lupus. They can also appear in other autoimmune conditions and sometimes in people with no known condition. A positive result by itself does not mean you have any of these. It also matters for pregnancy, because the antibodies can reach the baby.

Common causes

  • Sjögren's disease (Sjögren's syndrome)
  • Lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus), including subacute cutaneous lupus, a sun-sensitive rash
  • Other autoimmune conditions, such as myositis (muscle inflammation)
  • No known condition: antibodies like these can be found in some healthy people

What can help

  • Ask your clinician how this result fits with symptoms such as dry eyes, dry mouth, joint pain or a rash that gets worse in sunlight
  • If you are pregnant or may become pregnant, tell your obstetric and rheumatology teams about this result so they can plan monitoring
  • Ask whether Ro52, Ro60 and SSB were measured separately

Usual ranges

What labs print as the reference range, by who was tested. Ranges differ a little between labs, so the range on your own report is the one your result is judged against.

For adults: 0–40 AU/mL. Source: ARUP Laboratories, University of Mississippi Medical Center Laboratory Services.

ARUP Laboratories interpretation (multiplex bead assay; lab-specific)

  • Negativebelow 30 AU/mL
  • Equivocal30 to under 41 AU/mL
  • Positive41 and above AU/mL

What can affect your result

  • Lab and test kit: some labs report SSA as one result and others report Ro52 and Ro60 separately, with different units and cutoffs
  • Ancestry: in a New York City lupus registry, anti-SSA/Ro was most common in Asian patients and least common in White patients
  • Pregnancy: the antibodies can cross the placenta
  • Hemolyzed, severely lipemic or contaminated samples can be rejected or give unreliable results (ARUP specimen requirements).
  • Labs use different test kits, scales and cutoffs (for example AU/mL, antibody index or chemiluminescent units), so a number from one lab can't be compared with a number from another. Compare results from the same lab and test.

Not a short-term marker. These antibodies are usually checked to help sort out a condition, not to follow day-to-day changes.

When to talk to a clinician

A positive anti-SSA/Ro result is not an emergency by itself. Contact your clinician soon for dry eyes or mouth that affect eating or vision, swollen glands in the face or neck, joint swelling or a new rash. If you are pregnant, let your care team know about this result early. Call 911 or your local emergency number for severe chest pain, trouble breathing or fainting.

Questions you could ask

  • Why was the anti-SSA/Ro test ordered for me?
  • Were Ro52, Ro60 and SSB measured separately, and what did each show?
  • How does this result fit with my symptoms and my other lab results?
  • Would it help to see a rheumatologist, a specialist in autoimmune conditions?
  • If I am pregnant or planning a pregnancy, does this result change how I am followed?

Questions people ask

Does a positive anti-SSA/Ro result mean I have Sjögren's disease or lupus?

Not by itself. These antibodies are common in both conditions, but they also appear in other conditions and in some people with no known condition. Your clinician looks at your symptoms and other tests before deciding what the result means.

I'm Ro-positive and pregnant, or planning a pregnancy. Should I worry?

Most babies of Ro-positive mothers are born without heart block. In studies, about 1 to 2 in 100 pregnancies were affected. Because the problem can be serious, care teams often plan extra monitoring. Talk with your obstetric and rheumatology clinicians about a plan that fits you.

What is the difference between Ro52 and Ro60?

They are two different protein targets that both count as Ro/SSA. Some labs report them together as SSA and others report each one on its own. Your clinician may care which one is positive.

Show the science and sources

For clinicians and researchers

SSA/Ro has two main protein targets, Ro52 (TRIM21) and Ro60. Some assays detect both together, and others report each separately. ARUP Laboratories reports Ro52, Ro60 and SSB separately by a multiplex bead assay in AU/mL; each has the same cutoffs (negative 29 or less, equivocal 30 to 40, positive 41 or more). Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers Ro52 and Ro60 IgG tests by chemiluminescent immunoassay in CU (negative below 20, positive 20 or more) and lists the Ro52 test for evaluating patients at risk for connective tissue disease with or without interstitial lung disease. Anti-SSA/Ro positivity scores 3 points in the 2016 ACR/EULAR primary Sjögren criteria, where a total of 4 or more classifies people with suggestive symptoms. Transplacental Ro antibodies are linked to neonatal lupus. Congenital complete heart block occurred in 1.6% (2 of 128) of infants of anti-Ro-positive mothers in a prospective cohort and in 1.9% (24 of 1,248 pregnancies) of anti-Ro and/or anti-La-positive pregnancies in pooled prospective studies; skin neonatal lupus occurred in 16% in the first cohort. The 2020 ACR reproductive health guideline has specific recommendations for patients positive for anti-Ro/SSA and/or anti-La/SSB.

LOINC 17792-3 (primary), 29964-4, 33610-7, 33569-5. Specimen: serum.

Sources

  1. Extractable Nuclear Antigen Antibodies (SSA 52, SSA 60, and SSB) (test 0050791), ARUP Laboratories
  2. Ro52 Antibody, IgG, Serum (test RO52), Mayo Clinic Laboratories (catalog mirror at testcatalog.org)
  3. Ro60 Antibody, IgG, Serum (test RO60), Mayo Clinic Laboratories (catalog mirror at testcatalog.org)
  4. 2016 American College of Rheumatology/European League Against Rheumatism Classification Criteria for Primary Sjögren's Syndrome, Arthritis & Rheumatology (2017)
  5. Incidence and spectrum of neonatal lupus erythematosus: a prospective study of infants born to mothers with anti-Ro autoantibodies, The Journal of Pediatrics (2003)
  6. Autoimmune Congenital Complete Heart Block: How Late Can It Occur?, AJP Reports (2023)
  7. 2020 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for the Management of Reproductive Health in Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Diseases, Arthritis & Rheumatology (2020)
  8. Sjögren's Disease: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH) (2024)
  9. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus): Diagnosis, Treatment, and Steps to Take, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIH) (2022)
  10. Prevalence of concomitant rheumatologic diseases and autoantibody specificities among racial and ethnic groups in SLE patients, Frontiers in Epidemiology (2024)
  11. Autoantibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus, Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore (1988)
  12. Sjogren's Syndrome A (SSA) Antibody (Ro), University of Mississippi Medical Center Laboratory Services

AI-verified against cited sources. Awaiting expert review. Last reviewed 2026-10-03. How we build and check these pages.

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