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Doctors Lounge - Rheumatology Answers
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| acousticgurl
- Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:42 pm |
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My name is Amanda, I'm a 22 year old female with much going wrong. Symptoms include: swelling in joints; burning and hot to touch, tendon pain and swelling in feet, re-occuring yeast infections; three this year alone, extreme pain in abdomen directly below my breast bone, bad headaches at least two a week, painful sores inside my nose that last for weeks, painless sores on the roof of my mouth, extreme fatigue especially when in the sun; followed by redness across my cheeks and nose, and irregular periods which my gyn fixed with Ortho-cyclen (only current medication I'm on) My family doctor suggested lupus and gave me an ANA test which came back negative so she stopped listening to my problems. Since then I haven't gone back and things just keep getting worse. Can I have a negavite ANA and still have lupus?
Thank you all for your time, I greatly appreciate it.
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| Dr. Chan Lowe
- Sat Sep 01, 2007 9:55 pm |
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 Hi Acousticgurl,
Most people use a set of 11 diagnostic criteria to diagnose lupus. Having 4 of the eleven is considered diagnostic. The ANA being positive is only one of the criteria.
Most people with lupus do have a + ANA; however, it is possible to have lupus without being ANA +.
Based on your description it sounds like you have the following criteria met:
1) arthritis
2) mucositis (based on the sores in your nose/mouth)
3) a malar rash (butterfly type rash on the nose and cheek bones)
There are a few others that are less certain but you may also meet the finding of photosensitivity (although a strict definition of this is getting a rash in sun exposed areas).
I would recommend that you see a rheumatologist for further evaluation. There are some other lab diagnostic criteria (including other antibodies and changes on the CBC) that should be evaluated for also. Getting a rheumatologist's opinion will be the best way to formally make this diagnosis.
Best wishes.
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