The Difficult Process to Diagnose Lupus
When a person has noticed some unexplainable symptoms they should see their health care provider to determine if there is cause for concern. If lupus is suspected, the doctor will have to investigate thoroughly before being able to make the correct diagnosis. This can be a long process. To begin with the patient will be asked for a complete medical history to try to determine if the symptoms are new or if they are related to medical problems in the past. The physician will also want information on family history. This can tell them a lot even if the patient thinks it is not significant. It is very important that the patient gives their doctor a clear picture of all the problems they have been dealing with. Once this is done there will be a complete physical. This too will give the doctor much needed information.
The next step will be for the doctor to take blood and urine samples for testing. The blood work will be done with certain particular things in mind. There are autoantibodies that can be found in people who have lupus. ANA, antinuclear antibodies, are found in lupus sufferers. These autoantibodies attack the nucleus of the cell destroying it. Even if the test comes back positive is it not definitive since people with other health problems can also test positive. Someone with another immune disease or with an unrelated infection can also test positive as rarely can a healthy person. There are at least five other types of antibody tests that can be done with blood testing. These are more useful and will help the health care provider make their diagnosis.
Sometimes the patient may be told they need to have a biopsy done to determine if the cause of a medical problem is related to lupus or not. A biopsy may be done of the skin or kidneys but only if the patient seems to be suffering symptoms related to those areas. One other concern when investigating if a patient has lupus is related to pregnancy. There is a test that will look for an antibody called anticardiolipin. If this antibody is found, it can increase the chance of a woman having a miscarriage or blood clots when she is pregnant.
Do not count on a diagnosis being made quickly. It can take months for all the testing and investigating to be completed. Blood counts and blood chemistries need to be checked thoroughly. An erythrocyte sedimentation rate, ESR, check should also be done. This is done by taking anticoagulated blood and leaving it in a tube that is standing up straight. Technicians will then watch as the red blood cells fall and measure the rate in millimeters per hour. Those suffering from lupus will often have increased rates. Often x-rays are used along with other imaging technologies to investigate the condition of the patient’s organs and determine if any damage has been done yet. After all the information has been collected, sifted through and rechecked only then can the health care provide be in a position to make their diagnosis.

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