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Laboratory tests. Blood and urine tests may include: Complete blood count. This test measures the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets as well as the amount of hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells. Results may indicate you have anemia, which commonly occurs in lupus.
View our Glossary of Lupus Blood Tests for more details on blood tests for antibodies, proteins and clotting time. If you have a positive antinuclear antibodies (ANA) test, or if you’re wondering if you might have lupus, learn more about a blood test that can help doctors diagnose lupus.
What types of tests can help diagnose lupus? Your doctor might give you different lab tests to figure out if you have lupus. While no single test can diagnose lupus, tests help doctors check for changes in your body — like inflammation — that could be caused by lupus.
7 min read. Lupus is difficult to diagnose because its symptoms can be vague. And unlike other diseases, doctors can't diagnose it with a single lab test. But your doctor can look at your...
Several tests will be needed to diagnose lupus to rule out other conditions. Learn what to expect, how long the diagnostic process may take, and more.
Lab tests help doctors check for changes in your body that could be caused by lupus. When your doctor reviews your test results, they’ll look for these common signs of lupus: Unusual antinuclear antibodies (ANA): the ANA test checks for a type of antibodies in your blood that attack healthy cells and tissues.
How is lupus diagnosed? To evaluate if you have lupus, your doctor will review your lupus organ involvement against a specific set of criteria, called SLICC (or they may use the ACR criteria, from the American College of Rheumatology).
Although no one symptom qualifies someone as having lupus, certain clinical techniques can be used to narrow down the diagnosis. For example, a test for antinuclear antibodies (ANAs) in the blood is probably the first tool a physician will use.
There is no one test for lupus. But your doctor will most likely: Discuss your symptoms. Do physical exams. Take X-rays. Run lab tests. How to manage symptoms. Since lupus symptoms vary widely from person to person, how it's managed depends on each person's symptoms and needs. To best manage your symptoms, it is important to:
Most people with lupus have mild disease characterized by episodes — called flares — when signs and symptoms get worse for a while, then improve or even disappear completely for a time. The signs and symptoms of lupus that you experience will depend on which body systems are affected by the disease.