Diagnosing Lupus

[Asmarino]

I lost a sister to lupus 40 years ago. Since then i have been diagnosed as coeliac and my two sisters are wheat intolerant.

How can i have a test to find if I have lupus?

[Purpletop]

There isn't one single test. You need to exhibit certain symptoms before your gp agrees to do an autoantibodies screen. The most the gp will do at this point is to check your ANA (anti-nuclear autoantibodies) in the blood (simple blood test) and maybe, if you have certain symptoms, do inflammatory markers (ESR and CRP). But neither of these taken separately will lead to a lupus diagnosis. If all are positive/elevated AND you have specific symptoms, then you might be referred to a rheumatologist for more in-depth tests.

[Fighting]

I agree with Purpletop. If you are so inclined, you might secure some reading that lists all the symptoms typically seen. The lists I've read then state that further testing needs to be done if X number of symptoms last more than some specific amount of time. A doctor's office, public health office or a library might have a pamphlet.