RA or LUPUS

[Healthy-search]

I am 56, please can someone help me, this is my first time with something like this I have had chronic

inflammation & went for all the arthritis test & my results are HEP-2 cells POSITIVE,

TITRE 1:160, PATTERN SPECKLED

C-RP 23.50, H 0-5,

RHEUMATOID FACTOR 0.0

do I have RA or LUPUS

I am so stressed & scared

thanks

[lupus-support1 Administrator]

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

I can understand how stressful and confusing this is for you. However, the only person who can explain the results to you will be your doctor. Additionally, a diagnosis of an autoimmune disease is not made just on blood tests, which can and do change.

Even IF you do have a diagnosis, there is NO good reason to be scared! These cannot be all the blood test results as there is a lot missing.

If the Rheumatoid factor is zero - then this would be very elevated in rheumatoid arthritis.

CRP - is high when there is an infection of some kind. An infection is not the same as chronic inflammation from an autoimmune disease and you the ESR test which is needed as well.

Testing for autoimmunity includes the ANA test. However, healthy adults can be positive ie they don't show any symptoms of an autoimmune disease! Again, this a blood test which cannot by itself diagnose you! A homogenous pattern is usual for SLE but sometimes speckled but again, you cannot read a diagnosis based on these blood tests. I have posted here about ANA patterns.

Diagnosis for SLE is notoriously slow, but is made on clinical evaluation. Why do you think you have SLE?

I am sorry I cannot be more helpful, but if you want my advice, stop looking on the Internet! There are websites that are horrific in the sense they are not medically validated and scare the life out of anyone. Make an appointment with your doctor and ask for a referral to see a rheumatologist. If there is a question of SLE, you need a lupus specialist: not all rheumatologists are experts in lupus.

If you want to talk some more, please contact me. For now, take a deep breath and relax!

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.

Please use the following to complete the Date of Birth entry: nn-nn-nnnn where n=number. Thus, if your birthday is 5th May 1968, enter: 05-05-1968. Use the “-“ separator and not the “/“.

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

I look forward to talking with you more!

Sometimes we need to talk to people who understand and who are not family or friends.

With good wishes!

Ros

Disclaimer: No attempt is made to diagnose or to make any medical judgement. You are advised to seek the advice from your own physician. LUpus Patients Understanding & Support (LUPUS) is not a substitute for your own doctor.