Lupus can be hard to diagnose because it has many symptoms that are often mistaken for symptoms of other diseases. Many people have lupus for a while before they find out they have it. If you have symptoms of lupus, tell your doctor right away. No single test can tell if a person has lupus.
Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because it has many symptoms that come and go and can mimic symptoms of other disorders or diseases. When speaking to your doctor about your symptoms, be sure to include symptoms that may no longer be present.
The 11 criteria included were malar rash, discoid rash, photosensitivity, alopecia, Raynaud phenomenon, oral/nasal ulcers, arthritis (non-erosive arthritis involving 2 or more peripheral joints), serositis (pleurisy or pericarditis), renal disease (proteinuria greater than 500 mg daily or cellular RBC, granular, ...
98% of all people with systemic lupus have a positive ANA test, making it the most sensitive diagnostic test for confirming diagnosis of the disease. The test for anti-nuclear antibodies is called the immunofluorescent antinuclear antibody test. In this test, a blood sample is drawn and sent to a laboratory.
Here are the three most common reasons for uncertainty in diagnosing lupus: You have symptoms of multiple autoimmune conditions. You have too few symptoms. You have abnormal blood test results, but no symptoms.
No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.
Lupus often causes skin rashes, arthritis, mouth sores, sun sensitivity, hair loss, or kidney problems, but these symptoms don't show up in MS. Even when lupus affects your nervous system, its most common symptoms are migraine, personality changes, seizures, or stroke, but these aren't typical for MS.
A doctor may use the phrase "borderline lupus" when symptoms or blood test results suggest lupus, but there is not enough information for a definite diagnosis.
It is very rare, but it is possible to have a negative ANA test and still have lupus. In these instances, other antibodies are present. Many different laboratory tests can be used to detect physical changes or conditions in your body that can occur with lupus.
Blood tests will usually include an Anti Nuclear Antibody (ANA) test, which measures antibodies to self tissues. Whilst this is a good screening test, not all people with SLE have a positive ANA result and many people with a positive ANA do not have SLE.
Antinuclear antibody (ANA)
ANA titers at higher levels more likely indicate the presence of autoimmune disease. Many laboratories also measure pattern or the way the test looks when viewed through a microscope. Different ANA patterns may correspond with different characteristics of lupus.
lupus psychosis. It is described as delusions or hallucinations. About 12 percent of lupus patients experience it. A few more little-known symptoms are vertigo, Raynaud's Syndrome, and oral health problems, like gum disease.
Lupus is known as "the great imitator" because its symptoms mimic many other illnesses. Lupus symptoms can also be unclear, can come and go, and can change. On average, it takes nearly six years for people with lupus to be diagnosed, from the time they first notice their lupus symptoms.
Signs can range from a mild rash and arthritis to kidney failure and seizures — “with a whole spectrum in between,” she says. Symptoms can also mimic other diseases, including infections and cancer.
Unfortunately, because the warning signs and symptoms of lupus are not disease-specific, misdiagnosis is not uncommon. Many symptoms could be attributed to other diseases such as Lyme disease or chronic fatigue syndrome.
In some people, lupus will flare, become inactive (quiescent), and go into remission—this course of the disease may or may not occur regularly throughout their life. In other people, lupus will remain in a chronic (long-lasting) state of activity. Some people will have fairly frequent flares of illness.
Acute Cutaneous Lupus
Occasionally, a rash may appear on other parts of the body, such as the arms and legs. The facial rash is often confused with other skin conditions, such as rosacea, a disorder that causes redness of the face, or psoriasis, which may lead to rashes and lesions anywhere on the body.
A tell-tale sign of lupus is a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and bridge of the nose. Other common skin problems include sensitivity to the sun with flaky, red spots or a scaly, purple rash on various parts of the body, including the face, neck, and arms. Some people also develop mouth sores.
Both lupus and MS can follow a pattern of remission and relapse which repeats. They can both cause brain lesions that look similar on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While the nerves are the primary target of MS, lupus sometimes affects the nerves as well.
People with lupus can have cognitive symptoms, like having a hard time thinking clearly or remembering things. This is also called “brain fog” or “lupus fog,” and it often comes and goes over time. In some people, lupus fog can be present for many years.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus. Lungs About 50% of people with SLE will experience lung involvement during the course of their disease.
Common symptoms include fatigue, hair loss, sun sensitivity, painful and swollen joints, unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems. There is no one test for SLE. Usually, your doctor will ask you about your family and personal medical history and your symptoms. Your doctor will also do some laboratory tests.
Lupus nephritis can also cause high blood pressure (hypertension). If left untreated, it can put you at risk of developing life-threatening problems such as a heart attack or stroke.