/ Lupus - And you wonder why they call it the allusive disease..

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Lupus - And you wonder why they call it the allusive disease..

So .. you have had your blood drawn and the results for your ANA come back positive. So .. do you have lupus .. or not? Diagnosing lupus is a complex process. It's not as simple as diagnosing a broken bone, strep throat, or pregnancy. In these conditions there are simple tests which, if positive, point to a single diagnosis. There is no single diagnostic test for lupus. There is a screening test called the ANA (anti-nuclear antibody) test which is often checked when a doctor suspects lupus. If the ANA test comes back negative it is considered a normal result, and it is very good evidence against lupus as an explanation for the symptoms. If the ANA test result comes back above the normal range the test is said to be positive. A positive ANA test by itself is not proof of lupus, but then again, having a negative result does not necessarily mean you don't have lupus. (Confused yet?) What does a positive ANA mean? Unlike a pregnancy test, which if positive generally means only one thing, a positive ANA can mean many things. There are many illnesses and conditions associated with a positive ANA, including:

rheumatoid arthritis Sjogren's syndrome scleroderma lupus mononucleosis syphilis subacute bacterial endocarditis autoimmune thyroid and liver disease.

Certain medications can cause a positive ANA, and many healthy people with no associated illness or condition have a positive ANA. In fact, about 5% of the general population will have a positive ANA yet fewer than 1 in 1,000 have lupus. Thus, at least 95% of the people who have a positive ANA do not have lupus! A positive ANA test can sometimes run in families, even if family members have no evidence of lupus. The ANA is only a test and, like a high cholesterol value, a positive ANA doesn't necessarily equate having a disease. A positive ANA is only an indicator which points in several possible directions, and indicates that further investigation and analysis may be needed. "The LUPIES Store" Come check out our store...http://www.cafepress.com/thelupies"The LUPIES Web Page"http://www.itzarion.com/lupusgroup.html"The LUPIES online photo albums!" Check out what your fellow Lupies look like...http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=lupies