Symptoms and diagnosis of lupus

Red spots on the skin, butterfly-shaped on the face, fever, joint pain and tiredness are symptoms that can indicate lupus. Lupus is a disease that can manifest at any time and after the first crisis, symptoms can manifest from time to time and therefore treatment must be maintained for a lifetime.

Usually black women are the most affected and in addition to these symptoms there may also be hair loss in certain regions of the head, sores inside the mouth, reddish rash on the face after sun exposure and anemia. However, this disease can also affect the kidneys, the heart, the digestive system and cause seizures.

What is lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease, in which the patient's immune system starts attacking cells in the body, causing symptoms such as red spots on the skin, arthritis and sores in the mouth and nose. This disease can be discovered at any stage of life, but the most common is that it is diagnosed in women between 20 and 40 years of age.

When there is a suspicion that you may have lupus, it is recommended to consult a rheumatologist, as the doctor needs to assess the referred symptoms and perform tests that help confirm the diagnosis.

Test to see if it can be Lupus

The main symptoms of lupus are listed below and if you want to know your chances of having this disease, check your symptoms:

1. Red spot in the shape of butterfly wings on the face, over the nose and cheeks? Yes No
2. Several red spots on the skin that peel and heal, leaving a scar slightly lower than the skin? Yes No
3. Skin spots that appear after exposure to sunlight? Yes No
4. Small painful sores in the mouth or inside the nose? Yes No
5. Pain or swelling in one or more joints? Yes No
6. Episodes of seizures or mental changes with no apparent cause? Yes No

However, these signs and symptoms are not always sufficient to determine that it is lupus, because there are other diseases, such as rosacea or seborrheic dermatitis, that can be confused with lupus. Therefore, the blood test is one of the most useful tools for the doctor to confirm the diagnosis and determine the correct treatment.

Lupus Pictures

Tests to diagnose lupus

In this way, the tests ordered by the doctor complete the information necessary to determine the diagnosis, in the case of lupus. In these cases, the changes that indicate the disease are:

Excessive protein in several urine tests in a row; Decrease in the number of erythrocytes, or red blood cells, in the blood test; Leukocytes with a value less than 4, 000 / mL in the blood test; Decrease in the number of platelets in at least 2 blood tests; Lymphocytes with a value less than 1, 500 / mL in the blood test; Presence of native anti-DNA or anti-Sm antibody in the blood test; Presence of above-normal anti-nuclear antibodies in the blood test.

In addition, the doctor may also order other diagnostic tests such as chest X-rays or kidney biopsies, to identify whether there are inflammatory lesions in the organs, which may be caused by lupus.

Who can get lupus?

Lupus can appear at any time due to genetic factors and can be associated with environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation, hormonal factors, smoking, viral infections, for example.

However, the disease is more common in women, people aged between 15 and 40, as well as in African, Hispanic or Asian patients.

Is lupus contagious?

Lupus is not contagious, as it is an autoimmune disease, caused by mutations in the body itself that cannot be transmitted from one person to another.