Lupus Diagnosis Criteria

I've always wondered what criteria the Lupus Foundation of America used to create their "1.5 million people nationally" estimate. Especially since it seems to run counter to almost all studies Other major conducted on the subject. Since Lupus is considered "the disease of a thousand faces," it would not be particularly difficult to estimate a condition with many symptoms by telephone. Fatigue, joint pain, muscle pain and symptoms of a range of medical problems. Add to that a positive ANA (which occurs in twenty percent of the population in good health) and you're bound to skew numbers. Every time someone has symptoms suggesting even remotely Lupus, many doctors and even patients are very quick to jump on the train of Lupus. This suggests a specific mind-set and the medical culture that surrounds the disease. Perhaps that is why the television show "House MD" always seems to be making fun of patients and medical personnel, with all other potential diagnoses, suggest lupus. General estimates appears to be in the range of prevalence of 300.000 to 500.000 people, but the LFA has nearly tripled that. Why?

Most estimates are lower than most estimates.

The reason new figures are higher because doctors are now better diagnose lupus. In addition, if you have developed lupus 30 years ago were expected to die within 5 years. Now you can expect to live a relatively normal life. So there are more patients with SLE, who were correctly diagnosed and living longer after diagnosis.

The MCL is a comprehensive telephone survey, like other telephone surveys, drawing a large number of people at random, then extrapolate to the general population.

Some diseases are reported to the government (CDC), including the most deadly as cancer and heart disease and infectious diseases. There is no reporting mechanism for lupus. Some researchers have based their data on hospital discharges that can be misleading: not all lupus patients get hospitalized, the discharge may say something other than lupus, such as pericarditis and pleurisy, even if it ' had lupus, which caused the problem in the first place.

The reason is called lupus disease with a thousand faces and the great imitator because it manifests differently among patients and because the symptoms are similar to many other diseases. This is one reason why it is so difficult to get a diagnosis. In addition to this there is no definitive biomarkers for lupus.

The immunofluorescence pattern seen in the ANA is more important than having a positive ANA in the first place. 10 million Americans have positive ANA. 5% of lupus patients will have a negative ANA. A speckled ANA is indicative of the likelihood of lupus, while other models can indicate scleroderma or Sjogren.

And contrary to your opinion that doctors and patients are quick to jump on the train of lupus, the reverse is true. The majority of lupus patients take 3-5 years to get an accurate diagnosis and to see that many doctors en route.

I would be interested to know what has a half-dozen of your "every major study" sources.

And I would really like to have a reference (other than your own perception) that "every time someone has symptoms suggesting even further, Lupus, many doctors and even patients are Quicke to jump on the train with lupus."

Not only do I have systemic lupus with organ involvement very important that almost killed me in 2003 and was not diagnosed for 38 years, I also work with lupus patients on a daily basis.

I attribute part of the doctor's diagnosis. All other visits to my rheumatologist and fro, visiting I.