hi there, can anyone help me,,,, i have just had blood test done for lupus, as doctor thought i possible have this as skin rashes, fatigue etc, just been told that you have 6 results come back to doctors, 4 out of the six were borderline, but the other 2 are high, doctors appointment tomorrow am, but from what both myself and doctor discussed before test results this was highly likely, and blood test result receptionship would not commit herself, but i like to be prepared and even though i know what this means i would like to know if someone might have had the same result, many thanks for helping if you can,,,,, because doctor said even if normal i was still going to be referred to st thomas's lupus centre, so i will not be scared,,, thanks,

Dear sisters3, Welcome! There are different forms of lupus, and different "gradations" within these forms; plus, even within one kind, different people have different test results & symptoms. Other than that, it's all a snap. :eek:

As for types, there's SLE (systemic), SCLE (subacute cutaneous), DLE (discoid), DILE (drug-induced), and neo-natal (applies to infants). SLE is the one we think of when we think of lupus, and it can range from mild (like fatigue, pain, rashes, etc.) to profound (kidney & CNS involvement are the worst, with heart, lung, etc. also possible).

SCLE, a subset of SLE, is also systemic, but the worst problems (kidney & CNS) are thought to be less likely than in SLE.

DLE can be "skin-only" or "skin-plus" (scarring rashes + pain, fatigue, etc.) But a few people with "discoid" scarring lesions can eventually develop symptoms of full-blown SLE.

There's a "sticky post" at the top of the thread list about "test results". It contains a resource with info about the main blood tests. Symptoms & scope govern what meds are appropriate. Antimalarials are prescribed where major organs are NOT involved; where they ARE, steroids &/or immune suppressants are called for.

The "resources" tab above will also take you to lots of info on lupus. Plus, I think Dr. Graham Hughes's books are another great reading source for you. (He's associated with St. Thomas but is famous worldwide.)

I hope this is a bit of a head start. Hope your appt. goes well & that you'll get started on whatever treatment is indicated. Best wishes, from Vee

Hello ther sisters3,

Plesed to meet you. You are in an excellent place for help and understanding of lupus. I sincerely hope that you don;t have it though of course.

I can only talk from my own experience of SLE and not in a medical way. I state this so that you do understand that any diagnosing in any way can only be done by a doctor.

When you speak of "4 out of 6 being borderline" which tests are you referring to specifically? Was it an ANA test ? The second thing I would say is that it is not only blood tests that determine whether or not a patient has lupus. There are lots of criteria to be looked at. At the begining of this board there is ifnformation explaining this. There is a different set of diagnostic criteria which was published by Dr. Graham Hughes, who used to be the top man at St. Thomas's. He is now though working in his retirement at the London Lupus Centrre, which is a private facility.

So to briefly sum up, I would say the following is worth reading about. Just one thing though, don't ever red anything that is more than 5 years old, you will get out of date and frightening information.

To start with there is no single test that can definitely say whether a person has lupus or not.

There are three different types of lupus - Discoid(cutaneous) lupus, Systemic lupus & Drug-induced lupus. Just to put things in a plainer way, systemic lupus involves joints, skin and in severe cases can involve the internal organs. Don't get too upset with this description too much. Once any problems are identified, appropriate treatments can and will be offered and the patients condition monitored.

Discoid lupus affects the skin rather than being a "whole" body lupus i.e. it doesn't affect the internal organs. There are quite a few feqtures of "skin" lupus and I am sure you will get more information if you ask questions here. One thing I would mention is that I too have hives and it is thought that during the course of the disease, maybe 10% of patients with SLE will develop these.

Drug induced lupus is jus as it sounds. Some peope develop "lupus like" symptoms when they take certain drugs. When it is determined what is causing the problem and the patient then stops using the drug, in time the symptoms will subside and disappear. patient have to be very cautious in not ever using the same drug again that caused the problem in the first place.

I have given you a brief overview. I am having a few problems at the moment, so I will have to cut this short. In time I hope to be back here for longer periods. In the meantime, if you have any questions, if I am not able to be of help for a while,there will always be someone here to help and give you support.

Take care

goldenwings :angel:

:wave:


hi there, thanks so much for your help, have posted another one to explain what bloods tests were, if you can have a read, and see what you think, once again thanks and hope you are well,,,,

hi there, thanks for your help, it was appreciated, all new to this,,,, have posted another, to explain what happened today, if you can, have a read, and if possible let me know what you thing, once again thanks, and hope you are well,,,,,

hi there, thanks for your help, it was appreciated, all new to this,,,, have posted another, to explain what happened today, if you can, have a read, and if possible let me know what you thing, once again thanks, and hope you are well,,,,,