I started having joint pain a few months ago, mostly hands and feet, together with a little tingling in both. I also started to have hot flushes (not menopause-related; already diagnosed with premature menopause and taking oestrogen). The GP ordered a bunch of blood tests in April and decided that being above the normal range for a thyroid hormone was the culprit. Having looked again at the result of all the bloods, I'm now not so sure...
My ANA test came back at 2.6 (0.0-0.9) and dsDNA at 9 (0-10 normal) and ENA 0.1 (0.0-0.9). The lab comment with the ANA result said doubtful significance. However, is it worth asking for ANA and dsDNA to be repeated?
I've had dry eyes since forever, was told I had microhaematuria in 2007, have Raynaud's which seems to be worsening every year. A couple of years ago, I noticed that the bridge of my nose (right below where the bridge of my glasses is) had gone red, but put this down to my glasses. Thinking about it, would it be weird for that redness to come on suddenly if I've been wearing glasses for 30+ years? I don't have a clear butterfly rash, but my face is quite pink from jaw to temple (which I put down to rosacea; am happy to post a couple of photos for comment, though). But I do now go very red in the face in the sun, even with sunscreen, although I have been putting that down to just being too hot. I have also been having occasional chest pains in the heart area for a few years, but this has been dismissed as nothing to do with anything.
TL;DR - is it possible that I might have SLE? (Although I realise that almost any symptom can be associated with lupus, if House is to be believed 🙃)
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hose1975
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Hello. Lupus is a complex diagnosis. Nobody in their right mind and with enough medical expertise and ethics would diagnose such a condition just with ANAs. I recommend you get the following tests so you have a better understanding
Essential tests that need to be performed ASAP
Complete blood count with differentials
Sedimentation rate
Rheumatic factor
Comprehensive metabolic panel
Necessary but can wait about a month, if your finances are challenging
Liver and kidney function (local inflammation or dysfunction needs to be assessed)
Hormonal panel
C reactive protein
Iron panel and ferritin
Lupus is diagnosed with a comprehensive clinical assessment as well as yes, blood tests,with time, a solid clinal history and accute observation. If you need help, let me know. I am a physician so I can help a bit.
Kindest regards
in reply to
You’ve made some interesting assertions.
Can you tell us what ‘sort’ of physician you are please? Are you a qualified medical practitioner practising in the UK?
It's possible to have multiple autoimmune conditions, you can easily have a thyroid problem alongside e.g. lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or fibromyalgia.
If your doc has decided to treat you for the thyroid that means you're on their radar.
If your symptoms worsen despite the thyroid treatment then you can ask to be retested and they will be able to see the progress of the condition. I was initially diagnosed with thyroid problems, and the lupus and RA the following year as those conditions worsened
You could post all your results on here, with ranges, to see what people say. Also posting them on the Thyroid UK board would get you their advice, they are super helpful and very good on vitamins (which it turns out are very important and can help you feel better).
Also, sadly. HRT does not necessarily stop all the symptoms of the menopause, I am on a higher dose and still get hot flushes
Blood tests are not always helpful. I'm negative on sll but have lupus and sjogrens syndrome diagnosed. Generally if you have fatigue that is more than tiredness where you have to stop and lay down whatever time of day it is and living a normal daily life is not possible because of fatigue then most likely you have an autoimmune condition. It was one of the first serious issues I noticed in my thirties. Most of us are the same. Some feel a bit better with medication some don't. The dry eyes could be sjogrens? I'd discuss with a rhuematologist, maybe see an ophthalmologist for a thorough eye scan and check up. They can check if your eyes are producing enough tears. Keep a diary of symptoms and take pictures to help your rhuematologist see what your symptoms are. Good luck.
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