Lupus Health Center
Table of Contents
A patient has to have 4 out of the 11 signs of lupus in order to be diagnosed.
A doctor will listen to the patients chest with a stethoscope and may listen for a sound called a heart friction rub a pleural friction rub. The doctor will also perform a nervous system exam.
The following tests may be used to diagnose lupus:
- urinalysis
- complete blood count (CBC)
- antibody tests such as antinuclear antibody (ANA) panel
- kidney biopsy
- chest x-ray
Lupus may also affect the results of the following tests (not a conclusive list):
- antithyroglobulin antibody
- antithyroid microsomal antibody
- complement components (C3 and C4)
- Coomb's test - direct
- cyroglobulins
- ESR
- kidney function blood tests
- liver function blood tests
- rheumatoid factor