8 replies to this topic

[The_Snow_Queen]

Today I went to a dermatologist who said that I had rosacea (and right after I stopped getting acne, great). Well, my mom called me today and prompted me to make a doctor's appointment because apparantly rosacea is a sign of lupus. Now, this alone shouldn't be too big of a deal, but I also have:

1) Glomerulonephritis

2) A High Number of Anti-Nuclear Antibodies

3) Anemia

4) Frequent Headaches

5) Sensitivity to the Sun

6) Dizziness

All of which are indicators of lupus.

[Marrakech]

[tucsonhotmama]

Hope you get it figured out. I have suffered with some of your symptoms as well a frequent bouts of pleuritis and while my naturopath believes I have lupus, my conventional doc won't give me the time of day (Stupid military docs). I hope one day to get tested but for now I'm seeing a naturopath who is cleansing me of heavy metals, which apparently can help the immune system.

[The_Snow_Queen]

Thanks for the support.

Tusconhotmama, I hope you don't have lupus either and that your cleansing treatment works. I'll be praying for you.

[skeptik]

My doctor was suspicious about lupus for me as well. Unfortunately, there is no real test for it on the market(other than the ANA test which isn't specific to lupus). The University I go to just developed a definitive lupus test that gives quick results, so hopefully it will be available soon!
I hope you're ok.

[Susan1967]

Today I went to a dermatologist who said that I had rosacea (and right after I stopped getting acne, great). Well, my mom called me today and prompted me to make a doctor's appointment because apparantly rosacea is a sign of lupus. Now, this alone shouldn't be too big of a deal, but I also have:

1) Glomerulonephritis

2) A High Number of Anti-Nuclear Antibodies

3) Anemia

4) Frequent Headaches

5) Sensitivity to the Sun

6) Dizziness

All of which are indicators of lupus.

Was your ANA red-flagged? How much higher than the normal range was it? Has your doctor ordered additional tests to confirm this? Does Lupus run in your family?

[The_Snow_Queen]

Today I went to a dermatologist who said that I had rosacea (and right after I stopped getting acne, great). Well, my mom called me today and prompted me to make a doctor's appointment because apparantly rosacea is a sign of lupus. Now, this alone shouldn't be too big of a deal, but I also have:

1) Glomerulonephritis

2) A High Number of Anti-Nuclear Antibodies

3) Anemia

4) Frequent Headaches

5) Sensitivity to the Sun

6) Dizziness

All of which are indicators of lupus.

Was your ANA red-flagged? How much higher than the normal range was it? Has your doctor ordered additional tests to confirm this? Does Lupus run in your family?

I have had a high ANA count since childhood. I do not know how much higher it is than normal because the doctor normally would speak to my mother about this. I have had two kidney biopsies, though neither of them recent. I always have urine and blood tests at least anually. I have never had any specific testing for lupus, however, as I have only recently been showing these other symptoms. Lupus does not run in my family that I know of, though neither does my glomerulonephritis; although I am of Native American ancestry and have heard lupus is common among Native Americans. I expect I will have some new tests done after I inquire about lupus during my upcoming doctor's appointment.

[Susan1967]

I have had a high ANA count since childhood. I do not know how much higher it is than normal because the doctor normally would speak to my mother about this. I have had two kidney biopsies, though neither of them recent. I always have urine and blood tests at least anually. I have never had any specific testing for lupus, however, as I have only recently been showing these other symptoms. Lupus does not run in my family that I know of, though neither does my glomerulonephritis; although I am of Native American ancestry and have heard lupus is common among Native Americans. I expect I will have some new tests done after I inquire about lupus during my upcoming doctor's appointment.

I wonder if they'll do a liver biopsy? Probably not unless they specifically suspect liver damage of some kind. Perhaps, due to your genetic history, they are keeping an eye on it, just monitoring it to determine if there are any sudden changes or increases.
I had to have an ANA a few years ago. When I started taking accutane, my SGOT and SGPT levels were slightly elevated (just over the high end of the normal range so it was red-flagged). They had me stop the medication and do an additional blood test. They also ordered an ANA, which also came back just slightly elevated above the normal range. The liver doctor told me that about 17% of the total population, taken at random, will show a slight elevation in the ANA with no other problems or symptoms. I asked if it could be that I had a maternal aunt who had lupus and another maternal aunt who has rheumatoid arthritis. He said that could be; that families who are genetically pre-disposed to autoimmune diseases like lupus and rheumatoid arthritis may very well tend towards the higher range on the ANA test. I don't know if there has been a lot of studies on the demographics of such a correlation or not. In my case, they did a liver biopsy as a diagnostic tool, which came back clean as a whistle. After a few weeks off the accutane, all my levels, including ANA went back to the normal range, so they determined that the accutane was causing the slight elevation in my blood levels. So they monitored that closely throughout my treatment and erred on the side of caution and all's well that ends well. But it does sit at the back of my mind, since autoimmune diseases run in my mother's side of the family...

I found this: http://www.lupus.org/education/articles/ana.html

Understanding the positive ANA test

What does a positive ANA mean? Unlike a pregnancy test, which if positive generally means only one thing, a positive ANA can mean many things. There are many illnesses and conditions associated with a positive ANA, including rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, scleroderma, and lupus, as well as infectious diseases such as mononucleosis, subacute bacterial endocarditis, and autoimmune thyroid and liver disease. Certain medications can cause a positive ANA, and many healthy people with no associated illness or condition have a positive ANA. In fact, about 5% of the general population will have a positive ANA yet fewer than 1 in 1,000 have lupus. Thus, at least 95% of the people who have a positive ANA do not have lupus! A positive ANA test can sometimes run in families, even if family members have no evidence of lupus. The ANA is only a test and, like a high cholesterol value, a positive ANA doesn't necessarily equate having a disease. A positive ANA is only an indicator which points in several possible directions, and indicates that further investigation and analysis may be needed.

How does your doctor use the ANA result?

The doctor will view your ANA and other lab results in light of your history and physical exam to determine if there is sufficient evidence to diagnose a specific illness. None of the connective tissue (joints, tendons, cartilage, collagen, muscles and skin) diseases has specific diagnostic tests. Diagnosis is therefore based on meeting certain criteria for the disease which are based on the symptoms you have had, your physical examination, and your blood tests. In systemic lupus, eleven criteria were developed for research purposes but are frequently used to diagnose lupus.

Usually, physicians do not make a diagnosis of lupus unless they determine that the patient has at least four criteria. If only two or three criteria are met, then there may not be enough evidence to support a diagnosis of lupus. Since not all of the criterion are black and white, a physician may sometimes be uncertain whether a patient meets a particular criterion or not. This adds to the difficulty in diagnosis.

Furthermore, if another disease or condition can explain the presence of the criterion in a patient, then it may not indicate lupus. Therefore, it's possible to meet four criteria, and not have lupus.

[The_Snow_Queen]

Thanks for the link, that's some good information.