Could I have Lupus?

[deerae777]

I have been wondering if I have Lupus for awhile now. I had some labs drawn and my ANA came back positive, but weak 1:40, but my Chromatin Nucleosomal Antibody came back positive too. I have joint pain, what seems like malar rash (butterfly rash) and whenever I lay down in the same position for longer than 15 minutes, my kidneys hurt. What do you guys think?

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

Welcome to LUpus Patients Understanding & Support (LUPUS) at HealthUnlocked.

It is not possible to diagnose lupus in this way. Lupus is very hard diagnose as there isn't one blood test to determine lupus. A full clinical history and clinical examination is necessary and even "watching" over time to see what develops. The "malar rash" is very specific and can be determined via a biopsy since there are many rashes that may look like the malar rash. The "classic" lupus patient will have a positive ANA, malar rash and lupus nephritis but most lupus patients do not. There are lupus patients who are "sero-negative" ie do not have positive ANA. Lupus nephritis does not cause the pain you describe. In fact, lupus nephritis is painless which is why it was very serious because no one knew until the patient went into kidney failure. Today, this does not happen and there are blood tests, ultrasound etc that can check the kidney functioning. If you have pain, you need to see your doctor to rule out a kidney infection.

If you are concerned, you need to see a lupus specialist. Not all rheumatologists are lupus specialists. Lupus can also mimic almost every disease which is why it is difficult to diagnose.

We also have another website called the LuPUS Message Board where you can also post questions and talk to other people. Registration is FREE and we offer free information and free online psychological support. We specialise in psychological support with our own counsellor/psychotherapist available.

By becoming a Member, you will have access to the private forums and because they are private, only Members have access and even bots and search engines are forbidden.

When you register, please use the following format for entering your date of birth: nn-nn-nnnn where n=number. Please use the "-" separator and not "/".

Finally, please go to: lupus-support.org/LuPUSMB and Sign Up.

With good wishes,

Ros