Hi, new to this board quick question.....

[3love]

Hi, I would like to know if any of you with lupus was first diagnosed with lyme? Did you have the lyme western blot? Are the bands that show up on the lyme the same as lupus? ie. 30 kda
**31 kda
**34 kda
**41 kda
66 kda

IGM
**31 kda
**39 kda
**41 kda
**83-93 kda
I read some where that the antibodies in lupus is similar to lyme, is that correct?
Can you share your story with me? The reason why I ask is because I was just dx'd with lyme but still have a hard time believing the diagnosis. I hear that lyme and lupus are very similar. I just want to make sure I have the correct dx.

Thanks,
J

[VeeJ]

Hi & welcome. I *think* (I'm just a patient, obviously) that between Lyme and lupus, SYMPTOMS may be overlap some but test results vary substantially. Also, Lyme is caused by a spirochete, while in lupus an aberrant immune system produces antibodies to one's own cell matter.

The diagnostic criteria & tests differ. In systemic lupus, drs. look for four or more of the ACR criteria, per the "sticky post" at the top of the Board.

The disease-specific rashes are also different, I think. You could try to find pics of lupus rashes, e.g., malar, subacute cutaneous annular form, subacute cutaneous papulosquamous form, discoid, tumid, bullous, etc. And the skin TESTS also differ, I *think*. A lupus band skin test looks for 5 or 4 (or 3, etc.) of specific immune reactants---IgG, IgM, IgA, C3 and fibrinogen. The more that show, the greater the odds that it's lupus; and the visible band is a continuous line. Dr. Daniel Wallace's lupus hardcover discusses this briefly.

But because this stuff is only properly understood by experts, maybe you can just ask your dr(s). to share their thinking in plain English? You could ask for copies of your labwork, including the attached "detail pages" of your skin tests, meaning not just the top sheet which often says very little.

Oh---I was Dx'ed with the subacute cutaneous subset of lupus (SCLE) after decades of varied problems. My annular arm/torso nonscarring rashes were the last problem to arrive: I had these rashes for 8 years, about 4x yearly. Had many dermie appts., multiple punch biopsies, endless bloodwork, and no answers. Why? My suburban drs. were looking for "classic" SLE & seemingly had never heard of the SCLE subset, first differentiated in 1978 or so. Translation: suburban docs were at least 20 years out-of-date. In contrast, the teaching hospital rheumie & dermatopathologist I saw both roared into action & I got the Dx in less than a month.

Hope this helps! Post back if anything catches your eye, OK? Best wishes & GOOD LUCK! Sincerely, Vee

[3love]

Thanks vee for the reply. I have a lyme dx but I think I will also see a doctor to test for lupus. Would that be a Rheumatologist? I'm going to post another thread to see if I can get any recommendations.

Thanks again,
J