doctors only please?

Question

what tests do you run to diagnose Lupus?

Answer 1

Diagnosing lupus can be difficult. It may take months or even years for doctors to piece together the symptoms to diagnose this complex disease accurately. Making a correct diagnosis of lupus requires knowledge and awareness on the part of the doctor and good communication on the part of the patient. Giving the doctor a complete, accurate medical history (for example, what health problems you have had and for how long) is critical to the process of diagnosis. This information, along with a physical examination and the results of laboratory tests, helps the doctor consider other diseases that may mimic lupus, or determine if the patient truly has the disease. Reaching a diagnosis may take time as new symptoms appear.

No single test can determine whether a person has lupus, but several laboratory tests may help the doctor to make a diagnosis. The most useful tests identify certain autoantibodies often present in the blood of people with lupus. For example, the antinuclear antibody (ANA) test is commonly used to look for autoantibodies that react against components of the nucleus, or "command center," of the body's cells. Most people with lupus test positive for ANA; however, there are a number of other causes of a positive ANA besides lupus, including infections, other autoimmune diseases, and occasionally as a finding in healthy people. The ANA test simply provides another clue for the doctor to consider in making a diagnosis. In addition, there are blood tests for individual types of autoantibodies that are more specific to people with lupus, although not all people with lupus test positive for these and not all people with these antibodies have lupus. These antibodies include anti-DNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-Ro (SSA), and anti-La (SSB). The doctor may use these antibody tests to help make a diagnosis of lupus.

It may take months or even years for doctors to piece together the symptoms to accurately diagnose this complex disease.

Some tests are used less frequently but may be helpful if the cause of a person's symptoms remains unclear. The doctor may order a biopsy of the skin or kidneys if those body systems are affected. Some doctors may order a test for anticardiolipin (or antiphospholipid) antibody. The presence of this antibody may indicate increased risk for blood clotting and increased risk for miscarriage in pregnant women with lupus. Again, all these tests merely serve as tools to give the doctor clues and information in making a diagnosis. The doctor will look at the entire picture-medical history, symptoms, and test results-to determine if a person has lupus.

Other laboratory tests are used to monitor the progress of the disease once it has been diagnosed. A complete blood count, urinalysis, blood chemistries, and the erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) test can provide valuable information. Another common test measures the blood level of a group of substances called complement. People with lupus often have increased ESRs and low complement levels, especially during flares of the disease. X rays and other imaging tests can help doctors see the organs affected by SLE.

Diagnostic Tools for Lupus

Medical history
Complete physical examination
Laboratory tests:
Complete blood count (CBC)
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)
Urinalysis
Blood chemistries
Complement levels
Antinuclear antibody test (ANA)
Other autoantibody tests (anti-DNA, anti-Sm, anti-RNP, anti-Ro [SSA], anti-La [SSB])
Anticardiolipin antibody test
Skin biopsy
Kidney biopsy

Answer 2

Blood tests, and it may take years to even diagnose you with that. My sister is being looked into for that, and she is just about sone with the first year.
Its close to other diseases, so they have to X any other possibilities out first.
Get checked out, this is a serious disease.

And Doctors get paid for their expertise...... they arent free

Answer 3

Like i know i don't even like doctors the hole blood thing freaks me out! So i would go to the doctor i could be something big and you don't want to wait too long and the disease might grow.

Answer 4

I am not a doctor but according to http://www.uklupus.co.uk/dxlupus.html
blood test seems to be the only way

Answer 5

check webmd.com and don't ask questions like that on this site. You're not going to get an answer from a real doctor. Go see your doctor in person.

Answer 6

go to the doctor

Answer 7

What doctor has time for this? Think about it.

Answer 8

Real doctors don't know how to use chatroom or yahoo services.

Answer 9

you ment blood test? it is autoantibodies like ANA and others

Answer 10

http://www.lupus.org/education/brochures/labtests.html