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[berto]

Lupus can be hard to diagnose because its symptoms can vary from one person to the next. The symptoms can also make lupus look like certain other diseases. For example, like Chantelle, people with lupus may feel weak and fatigued. They may have muscle aches, loss of appetite, swollen glands, and hair loss. Sometimes they have abdominal pain, nausea, diarrhea, and vomiting.

The doctor may perform certain blood tests when lupus is suspected and will probably send the person to a rheumatologist (pronounced: roo-muh-tol-uh-jist). Rheumatologists are doctors who have special training in diagnosing and treating autoimmune diseases like lupus.

Because signs and symptoms of SLE can be so varied, a rheumatologist will look for 11 specific signs:

   1. malar rash: A malar (pronounced: may-lur) rash appears across the nose and cheeks in the shape of a butterfly.
   2. discoid rash: This rash features round, red, scaly patches that can appear on the face, arms, scalp, or ears.
   3. photosensitivity: This means sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, like the ones that come from the sun or from fluorescent lights. Most people with SLE are photosensitive and find that the sun worsens their lupus.
   4. ulcers in the nose or mouth: These usually don't hurt and many people with SLE don't even know they are there.
   5. arthritis: This makes joints hurt, especially in hands and feet. Unlike the kind of arthritis that older people sometimes get, this arthritis doesn't damage the bones. Most people with SLE have some degree of arthritis.
   6. serositis (pronounced: sir-o-syte-us): This is the collection of fluid near the linings covering the heart, lungs, or abdomen.
   7. kidney problems: These can be mild or severe. Most people with SLE will have kidney problems, but only about half of them will have permanent kidney damage.
   8. neurologic problems: This refers to problems with the brain and nervous system, like seizures.
   9. blood problems: SLE can cause a lower than normal number of red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells, or platelets.
  10. immune system problems: Blood tests may show that the immune system isn't functioning properly.
  11. positive ANA test: This is a blood test that shows a certain type of antibody. About 95% of people with SLE have a positive ANA test.

Someone with four or more of these signs or symptoms is likely to have SLE. Most patients don't develop all 11 of them.