Diagnosing Lupus (a form of arthritis)

Posted in Lupus

The combination of symptoms can vary enormously from one patient to another depending on which organ/s are involved. Making it quite difficult to diagnose Lupus (one of many diseases that full under the arthritis banner/.

The American Rheumatism Association set out 11 criteria and if a person has 4 or more it is thought that they probably have Lupus

The butterfly rash over the cheeks of the face

Discoid skin rash – patchy redness with hyperpigmentation and hypopigmentation that can cause scarring

Photosensitivity – skin rash reacts to sunlight exposure

Mucous membrane ulcers of the mouth, nose or throat

Arthritis – two or more swollen tender joints of the extremities

Pleuritis or pericarditis – inflammation of the lining tissue around the heart or lungs, usually associated with chest pain upon breathing or changes of body position

Kidney abnormalities – abnormal amounts of urine protein or clumps of cellular elements called casts detectable with a urinalysis

Brain irritation – manifested by seizures and/or psychosis

Blood-count abnormalities – low counts of white or red blood cells or platelets, on routine blood testing

Immunologic disorder – abnormal immune tests include anti-DNA or anti-Sm [Smith] antibodies, falsely positive blood test for syphilis anticardiolipin antibodies, lupus anticoagulant, or positive LE prep test

Antinuclear antibody – positive ANA antibody testing antibodies in the blood.

Other tests have been suggested in helping evaluate

Testing of the blood to detect inflammation –

Sedimentation rate

C-reactive protein

Blood-chemistry testing

Direct analysis of internal body fluids

Tissue biopsies