Lupus – Complications, Diagnosis And Tests

Possible Complications:

Lupus could additionally cause a host of complications that could affect several parts of the body that include:

• Severe kidney damage has been the major leading factor behind the mortality cited in those ailing from lupus.
• Lupus could affect the CNS or Central Nervous System leading to headache, giddiness, memory issues, seizure attacks and behavioural alterations.
• The blood and vessels are affected that could raise the chances of developing anemia, bleeding, inflamed vessels and blood clotting.
• Non-contagious pneumonia and breathing distress as the chest cavity undergoes inflammation due to lupus.
• Inflammation in the cardiac muscle and arteries that raises the likelihood of heart ailments and strokes.
• Treatments for lupus have a tendency of depressing the immune system thus increasing its vulnerability of contracting infection.
• Lupus raises the risk of developing cancer, particularly of cancers of the lung and liver and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
• A deficient supply of blood to the bone tissues causes small cracks and ultimately leads to bone tissue death. This normally occurs in the hip bone.
• Pregnant women having lupus have greater risks of undergoing miscarriage, hypertension and premature birth.

Diagnosis & Tests:

Due to widely fluctuating pattern of symptoms that varies in each case, there is no particular analytical test that could ascertain the presence of lupus. Additionally, symptoms have a tendency to vary over a span of time and are analogous to other diseases making it an immensely thorny task to diagnose it.
Presently, doctors are employing procedures that have been set up by The American College Of Rheumatology or ACR for diagnosis of lupus or SLE. The parameters lay emphasis on 11 anomalies that when coalesced are suggestive of the presence of lupus. A patient would be categorised as having SLE if he displays four of the below stated eleven symptoms at any periods of time since the disease commenced.

• Inflammation of the exterior membrane around the lungs –pleuritis or around the heart –pericarditis. This condition is known as serositis.
• Formation of tiny sores in the mouth or nasal lining called as mucosal ulcers.
• Non-corrosive arthritis with symptoms of inflammation noted in 2 or more peripheral joints.
• Becoming photosensitive with symptoms of rashes on the skin due to being exposed to the UV light.
• Having blood disorders such as low RBC or red blood cell count –hemolytic anemia, leucopenia and low WBC or White blood cell count –lymphopenia or  depleted platelet count – thrombocytopenia.
• Increased protein secretion into the urine – kidney disorder.
• Affirmative results for antinuclear antibody test.
• Affirmative outcome on tests like anti-Smith, anti-ds DNA, antiphospholipid antibody that indicates to an immunological disorder.
• Seizure attacks or mental illness that points to neurological disfunctioning.
• Formation of malar rashes on the cheeks.
• Red coloured, flaking patches noted on skin that lead to scars – discoid rashes.

The doctors would additionally carry out an array of blood analysis tests that are:

• CBC or complete blood count for spotting anemia, sapped platelet count and low WBC count.
• ESR or erythrocyte sedimentation rate for gauging the settling rate of the RBC to the base of a tube during an hour’s time. Quicker than normal rates might be a sign of lupus or other systemic ailment or infection.
• Evaluation of the functioning of the kidney and liver to detect particular enzymes and albumin.
• Urine tests for measuring the levels of protein or RBC present.
• A syphyilis test for determining the presence of anti-phospholipid antibodies in the blood.

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