In lupus, something goes wrong with your immune system, which is the part of the body that fights off viruses, bacteria, and germs. If a doctor is learning how to detect lupus, he/she will look for signs of inflammation. The signs of inflammation are pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function at a particular place in the body. Inflammation can occur on the inside of your body (your kidneys or heart, for example), on the outside (your skin), or both.
However, there are many challenges in confirming that a person has lupus and not some other disease. Lupus is known as “the great imitator,” because its symptoms mimic many other illnesses. Also, lupus symptoms can be unclear, can come and go, and can change. Therefore, a lupus diagnosis is made by a careful review of: your current symptoms, your laboratory test results, your medical history, the medical history of your close family members (grandparents, parents, brothers and sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins).
How to detect lupus symptoms?
To help the doctors diagnose lupus, a list of 11 common criteria, or measures, was developed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). By learning how to detect lupus symptoms, you can help yourself and your doctor at your next medical visit. If you have at least four of the criteria on the list, either at the present time or at some time in the past, there is a strong chance that you have lupus.
- Malar rash – a rash over the cheeks and nose, often in the shape of a butterfly
- Discoid rash – a rash that appears as red, raised, disk-shaped patches
- Photosensitivity – a reaction to sun or light that causes a skin rash to appear or get worse
- Oral ulcers – sores appearing in the mouth
- Arthritis – joint pain and swelling of two or more joints in which the bones around the joints do not become destroyed
- Serositis – inflammation of the lining around the lungs (pleuritis) or inflammation of the lining around the heart that causes chest pain which is worse with deep breathing (pericarditis)
- Kidney disorder – persistent protein or cellular casts in the urine
- Neurological disorder – seizures or psychosis
- Blood disorder – anemia (low red blood cell count), leukopenia (low white blood cell count), lymphopenia (low level of specific white blood cells), or thrombocytopenia (low platelet count)
- Immunologic disorder – abnormal anti-double-stranded DNA or positive antiphospholipid antibodies
- Abnormal antinuclear antibody (ANA)
People with lupus also may experience symptoms that do not appear among the ACR criteria: fever (over 100° F), extreme fatigue, hair loss, fingers turning white and/or blue when cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon).
(Source: www.rheumatology.org/annual/)
