Diagnosing lupus can be challenging. There’s no single test that can give doctors a “yes” or “no” answer. Sometimes it can take months—or even years—to gather all the right information.
Making a lupus diagnosis is kind of like putting together a puzzle. Your doctor will look at several different puzzle pieces: your symptoms, medical history, family history, and lab tests. If enough of the pieces fit together, you may be diagnosed with lupus.
What questions will my doctor ask?
Diagnosing lupus can be challenging. There’s no single test that can give doctors a “yes” or “no” answer. Sometimes it can take months—or even years—to gather all the right information.
Making a lupus diagnosis is kind of like putting together a puzzle. Your doctor will look at several different puzzle pieces: your symptoms, medical history, family history, and lab tests. If enough of the pieces fit together, you may be diagnosed with lupus.
Get ready for your appointment
Before your doctor’s appointment, take a few minutes to think through the questions above. Try writing down your answers and taking them with you to the doctor’s office.
You can also use these resources to get ready for your appointment:
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 that could be caused by lupus.
Blood tests
Blood tests can help doctors see things like how your immune system is working, or if there are signs of inflammation in your body. Your doctor may ask you to get these blood tests:
- Complement tests to check for signs of inflammation
- A complete blood count (CBC) to measure the numbers of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets (cells that help blood clot) in your blood
- Antibody tests to find out if your immune system is attacking healthy tissue
- Blood clotting time tests to see if you have clotting problems
Urine tests
Urine tests can help doctors see if there are problems with your kidneys. Your doctor may test your urine once or test it many times to check for changes.
Biopsies
Doctors may remove a small piece of tissue from different parts of your body. From that, they can check that tissue to see if there are any signs of imflammation and/or damage.
What happens if I get diagnosed with lupus?
Doctors may remove a small piece of tissue from different parts of your body. From that, they can check that tissue to see if there are any signs of imflammation and/or damage.