What Is Lupus Diagnosis
Lupus affects everyone differently.
What is lupus diagnosis. Some people have only a few mild symptoms and others have. What questions will my doctor ask. Joint pain stiffness and swelling. Inflammation can occur on the inside of your body your kidneys or heart for example on the outside your skin or both.
Lupus is an autoimmune disease that affects about 5 million people around the world. No one test can diagnose lupus. If enough of the pieces fit together you may be diagnosed with lupus. Your symptoms medical history family history and lab tests.
An autoimmune disease is a condition in which the body s immune system attacks healthy organs or tissues. Making a lupus diagnosis is kind of like putting together a puzzle. Signs and symptoms of lupus may vary over time and overlap with those of many other disorders. Your doctor may say you have lupus if you have at least four of 11 signs of the disease that are laid out by experts at the american college of rheumatology butterfly shaped rash raised red pat.
Diagnosing lupus is difficult because signs and symptoms vary considerably from person to person. Lupus symptoms lupus symptoms might develop quickly or they may come on slowly. The most common signs and symptoms include. Butterfly shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body.
Your doctor will look at several different puzzle pieces. The combination of blood and urine tests signs and symptoms and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis. Learn what doctors look for and the tests they use to diagnose lupus. The most useful tests identify certain autoantibodies that are often present in the blood of lupus patients.
Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure photosensitivity fingers and toes. Learn what to watch for. A doctor who is considering the possibility of lupus will look for signs of inflammation which include pain heat redness swelling and loss of function at a particular place in the body. Diagnosis while no single test can determine whether a person has lupus several laboratory tests may help the doctor confirm a diagnosis or at least rule out other ailments.