Do I have Lupus?

I have joint pain in my shoulders and arms.  I also have had (for several months) a large amount of blood in my urine. MMy Urologist has not been able to find any reason for the blood.  My lab work for kidney function is good.  But in the last 2 weeks I have developed what is known as a "sausage finger".  My ANA score is 235.  Do I have lupus? I have not lost in weight but I am fatigued.

[lily_kitty]

What's a "sausage finger"?
I'd suggest seeing a Rhumatologist, and have him do a few blood tests for Anti-ds DNA, Anti-SM, C3,C4,CH50, and the ENA panel.
Good luck.

[meshak]

Please, please make sure you see a rheumatologist.  Insist on having the labs done that lily_kitty told you about.  You can have "normal" labs like a CBC but still have some problems that are not seen unless very specific labs like the ones listed above are done.  Do not take no for an answer and if your doctor refuses to listen, find another one.  We had to "fire" our pediatrician after he failed to diagnose our son who nearly went into kidney failure before I insisted that they draw specific tests like the anti-dn DNA, etc.  I knew what to ask for because my sister unfortunately passed away in the 1980's from lupus which was not diagnosed until her kidneys were severely damaged.  

Another tip, insist that you get copies of all your labs and keep a folder for yourself.  We have done that for years for our son who has lupus nephritis and have actually caught a couple of abnormal numbers on labs that our doctor missed!  You are your best advocate, please know that you have the right to the best care possible.

I truly hope you get the help you deserve.  Good luck!

[Gina52]

Anti-ds DNA, Anti-SM, C3,C4,CH50, and the ENA panel.What this tests is gone show?
Is this test specific for Lupus? if so all of them has to be positive. Can you explain more about this tests Thanks.

[meshak]

Hey,

I know I'm not lily_kitty, but we have certainly done our share of these labs you mentioned for our son who has lupus.  The anti-ds DNA are antibodies that the body makes against its own DNA which is what makes up our cells.  Anti-SM is anti-Smith, the specifics of which I can't remember but if you google lupus lab tests or lab tests you'll find a pretty good description. Our son has only had the Anti-Sm done twice and the last one was positive during a "flare".   C3, C4 are serum (I think protein)  complement levels which drop low if there is disease activity present.  The CH50 includes the C3 and C4 but also measures other complements in the blood.  

I do not know what the ENA is.  The above  tests if positive put more weight on a diagnosis of lupus.  They are pretty specific indicators. A couple of web sites I have used to read about lupus labs are places like Webmd and medline.  You can also google these labs and there are many sites listed.  There are books out there too like Dr. Wallace's book on Lupus and then some with titles like Questions and Answers about lupus.  Google these for specific titles.

[Gina52]

Thank you for informing me about those test. For some reason I cannot understand which one is which and what they do.Got to print this one and compare the lab results. Thanks again and if you have more information I'm ready to listen.

[lily_kitty]

Hi, sorry I didn't explain what the tests were, but Meshak did a pretty good job of explaining for me. :)  The ENA panel (Extractable Nuclear Antigen Antibodies) is another group of tests which includes the anti-P, and anti-RNP (anti ribonucleic protein). They are all specific indicators of Lupus, and Lupus Nephritis (which I have).