?????? Lupus????

My ANA is 1:40 and my rheumatoid factor is 6 and my ana pattern is nucleolar. c reactive protein is .32. is the diagnosis of lupus likely?

my neurologist said it is lupus, but I have to see a rheumatologist. I went in becasue of fatigue and my entire left side is always in pain. I also have some other symptoms. Maybe I'm in denial

Although Lupus can be difficult to diagnose, for a Rheumatologist most likely it will be fairly easy after drawing labs and your symptoms.
Someone did mention that there are 11 criteria. You must have 4 criteria to make the diagnosis of Lupus.
Some of the eleven are:
palliative mouth sores
malar rash
Arthritis
Malar rash
Positive ANA ( a positive ANA does not diagnose you with Lupus, so by itself does not mean anything; 10% of people can have a positive ANA and have no immune problems) also 1:40 is considered negative to a rheumatologist unless of course you have 3 other criteria.
Labs indicate Low White Blood Cells
+ DNA, RNP, SMith Antibodies

although not criteria, your doctor should also look at C3 and C4 which are complements associated with lupus and low levels are not a good sign. Also Protein in the urine is also indicative of kidney disease which is associated with Lupus.

Some doctors will treat with Plaquenil if you have 3 criteria.
Also Raynauds is another symptom that can be associated with Lupus.

Lupus can affect Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Central Nervous System and joints with Arthritis pain.

I've had lupus for over 5 years and lupus has its own mind. I started writing a blog to share my life experinces on living with lupus. I think the hardest part is not having a confirmation of the diagnosis.

My blog address is http://chronic-chick.blogspot.... Report It

sounds like lupus to me, join a support group, they really help.

I think you probably have lupus? Did or does anyone in your family have thyroid or rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, or
a few other illnesses I cant remember now??????
If so you probably do have Lupus! Also, do you have any Native American in you heritage, great-grands' and the like????
Hope you don't have my disease, bit chances are you do!
Good luck with your rhyeumatologist. If you do have Lupus make sure your rheumatologist is a rheumatologist that specializes in lupus, because there are some rheumatologist that are specialist in the area of lupus particularly, those are the doctors you will want to see.
barzepo

It could indeed be lupus. Clearly it is an autoimmune inflammatory disease. I have lupus. It is hard to accept the diagnosis, or a diagnosis of any disease that has no cure.

Please read more on the website of the Lupus Foundation of America www.lupus.org.

May 1 is World Lupus Day.

If you are an American, please follow the link on www.lupus.org to ask your congressional representative to sign on to the lupus REACH amendment.

Actually it does not sound at all like lupus There are 11 criteria that rheumatologist follow to diagnose lupus since there is not one test that can ultimately say it is lupus but a series of them

ANA-anything greater than a 1:160 titer is a cause to suspect lupus

Rheumatoid factor-greater than 20 IU/mL cause to suspect lupus

and many other test

anti-ds-DNA, anti-Sm, anti SSA(Ro), anti SSB(La) and many others (all blood test)

also your entire left side always being in pain does not sound like lupus as systemic lupus erythematosus is usually all over the body and quite random

Though if you have a malar rash-a classic sign of lupus the odds are more likely to result in lupus than not-a rash spreading over the cheeks and over you nose, also known as the butterfly rash for its appearance

Usually occurs after sun exposure and will not leave for days/weeks

But if your still curious do some research on the 11 criteria and see if you fit any of the ones that require a blood sample to confirm just yahoo 11criteria lupus and you should get plenty of responses/info

Good luck and hopefully you don't have it or will at least get better!


It takes a while to diagnose as doctors want to be sure before they affirm you have a chronic illness and assign long term medication so try to have patience!

you do not have Lupus
You need anti smith anti RNA antibodies.
You have an autoimmune disorder and it may take years to get a definite diagnosis. The tests are non specific and thre is a lot of overlap. If you go to 5 rheumatologist you will get 5 different diagnosis
Dont worry yourself to death keep trying to be normal be exercising, diet and working. Do not let these symptoms drag you down. The diagnosis will come with time and it willhave to be monitored intermittently. There are specific criteria for thediagnosis for definitlupus and you do not seem to meet that criteria.

Hi,
I have Lupus - SLE. You may be in denial. Please realize Lupus is not a death sentence. There may not be a cure but in most cases with a good team of specialist, there will be more then one, it can be managed. No one doctor can treat all that comes with Lupus. Lupus causes your immune system to go hay wire, therefore you may at some point need to see a neuphologist, a urologist, always a rheumotologist and so on. So don't panic and check out webmd. they have an excellant support group there for those who have Lupus or still waiting for a diagnoses.