Diagnosing Lupus – Common Symptoms and Tests

Being diagnosed with lupus be incredibly difficult as many of the signs and symptoms mimic other connective tissue diseases. Everyone diagnosed with lupus will have unique symptoms that vary in severity. Often, lupus is called the “great imitator” for this reason. When diagnosing lupus, a specialist will use a variety of tests and examinations to determine if someone has lupus. On average, it can take up to six years to be diagnosed with lupus. 

Before I get ahead of myself, what exactly is lupus?

Lupus is an autoimmune disease which means that the body’s antibodies (immune system) will attack healthy cells in the body. Essentially, the antibodies can attack any joint, tissue, or organ. Most people are diagnosed with lupus between the ages of 15-44 of which, ninety percent (90%) are women. 

How long does it take to see a rheumatologist?

Many do not realize that it can take months and up to a year to get into a rheumatologist. Not to mention that some cities do not have one within a 200-mile radius. In an ACR 2015 workforce study, By 2025, the vast majority of US regions will only have 0.5 to 1.0 rheumatologists per 100,000 patients. These numbers are even worse when it comes to pediatric rheumatologists. I experienced this first hand when I was diagnosed, my pediatric rheumatologist would fly in from California every week because a pediatric rheumatologist was nonexistent in Las Vegas at the time. 

What are the most common symptoms of lupus?

The most common symptoms that a rheumatologist will check for will include the following:

• • • Fatigue
    • Joint pain
    • Low-grade fevers
    • Photosensitivity
    • Serositis (perocarditis and pleurisy)
    • Malar rash
    • Hair loss
    • Ulcers in the mouth or nose
    • Raynaud’s Phenomenon 

Generally, if you have about four of these symptoms your doctor will consider that you might have lupus. They will then proceed with a variety of blood tests including but not limited to:

• • • Complete blood count
    • Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test
      • This will indicate if your immune system is attacking your healthy tissue
    • Urinalysis
    • Inflammatory markers 
      • Sedimentation rate
      • Complement test

What are some questions that you should have prepared before visiting your doctor?

• • • What makes your symptoms better or worse?
    • At what time of day are your symptoms the worse?
    • How are your symptoms affecting your daily life?
    • When did the symptoms begin?

I have created a free resource for you to download on my website. This is a printable symptom tracker that you can use to track your symptoms before your appointment.

The process of being diagnosed with lupus can be scary and overwhelming. Fortunately, there are now many resources available online along with online communities. For more resources, you can visit my community on YouTube and Instagram. There are other communities as well such as LupusConnect by the Lupus Foundation. I hope that this blog article was helpful for you and that you were able to find the answers that you were looking for.