LUPUS DIAGNOSIS – HOW TO IDENTIFY FOR LUPUS ?

Diagnosing lupus is not an easy job. It may take months or even years for doctors to correlate the symptoms together to diagnose this complex disease accurately. For making a correct diagnosis of lupus, the doctor must have knowledge, awareness and good communication on the part of the patient. The doctor must be given a complete, accurate medical history, in order to test for lupus. This information, along with a physical examination and the results of laboratory tests, assists the doctor, to check whether the patient is mimicking lupus, or is truly suffering from it.

There is not a single test, which can confirm lupus, but the doctors performs a series of tests to make a diagnosis. Following are a few of them:

ANA Blood Test: Is one of the most widely used test. It is the immunofluorescent anti-nuclear antibody test, or ANA blood test. This blood test measures the autoantibodies known as anti-nuclear antibodies. Studies have proved that approximately 95 percent of people with lupus have a positive ANA blood test.. A negative ANA blood test is a likely sign that an individual does not have lupus. And so, the ANA blood test is evaluated along with other diagnostic tests and a review of a person’s medical history.

Evaluation of Kidney Function: Abnormal kidney function, is quite common in persons suffering from lupus. Tests checking the kidney functions, are good alternatives and supplements to ANA blood tests. The following are the ways to test kidney health:

Visual Imaging Tests: Fever, chest pain or shortness of breath can signal the presence of serositis or Pericarditis, other possible symptoms of lupus. Serositis and Pericarditis refer to inflammations of the serous connective tissue: serositis affects the lungs, heart and abdomen while pericarditis affects only the outer surface of the heart. Visual imaging tests like x-rays or CAT scans can help diagnose the presence of serositis or pericarditis that may, in turn, lead to a diagnosis of lupus