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What is an antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) test For antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA) in a sample of your blood. Antibodies are proteins that your immune system makes to fight foreign substances, such as viruses and bacteria. But sometimes antibodies attack the healthy cells of your own tissues and organs by mistake. This is called autoimmune disease ANCAs attack healthy white blood cells called neutrophils. This can lead to a disorder called autoimmune vasculitis. There are several types of autoimmune vasculitis, but they all cause inflammation and swelling in your blood vessels. When this happens, blood vessels can narrow or close off. This can cause different types of serious health problems depending on which blood vessels in body are affected. There are two main kinds of ANCA called pANCA and cANCA. Each type targets a specific protein inside white blood cells. An ANCA test can show whether you have one or both types of antibodies. This information helps