Labs Used In Lupus

Anti-chromatin antibodies attach to chromatin in lupus patients

Chromatin antibody: Make sure you know your labs

May 5, 2021

Know your labs when you have lupus

Chromatin is our DNA packaged up nice and neat with other proteins such as histone and RNA. It protects our DNA. Photo: at Wikipedia.com from the NIH

Chromatin Antibody (Also called Anti-Chromatin Antibody;

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Anti-SSA Test (anti-Ro): Know Your Labs

March 21, 2021

What is the anti-SSA test?

What the lab technician sees under the microscope when testing a patient for anti-SSA antibodies. These are human epithelial cells to which blood was added from a patient who has anti-SSA antibodies, proving that that

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Dr. Don Thomas explains ANA negative lupus

Can You Have Lupus With a Negative ANA Test? “Yes you can!” (October 2024 Update)

January 10, 2021

Protect yourself from medical mistakes. A study by a large group of international lupus experts (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics or SLICC) showed that 6% of their systemic lupus erythematosus patients were ANA negative at the time of diagnosis. With

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Microscopic view of a positive fluorescent antinuclear antibody test used to diagnose a lupus patient

Positive ANA workup – Is it lupus or not? [October 2024 Update]

September 21, 2020

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are present in up to 20% of the healthy population, depending upon the particular lab that is used and in which population. However, it is also important in helping to identify some autoimmune diseases, especially systemic lupus …

Improve Your Life: A Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Flare Test

September 11, 2020

Revolutionary New Lab Test: Predicts if a lupus patient will have a systemic lupus erythematosus flare!

A systemic lupus erythematosus flare can be devastating, interfere with quality of life, and can even cause organ damage. Imagine if they can be

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I am Dr. Donald Thomas, MD, a rheumatologist treating hundreds of lupus patients for over 30 years. Read my first blog post here to understand why I started this website and blog about “The Lupus Encyclopedia” and “The Lupus Secrets”.

Dr. Don Thomas also enjoys educating and empowering doctors, medical students, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and patients.

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“Do I need a mask after vaccination?” Now here is the truth

Please continue to protect yourself as you did before if you have lupus or another systemic autoimmune disease

Antibody Levels After COVID Vaccine

Some Immunosuppressant Drugs Cause Lower Antibody Levels after COVID Vaccine than do Other Drugs Home » Labs Used

Lupus and Vaccines: Shingles, Shingrix, and Zostavax

Knowing how lupus and vaccines interact is important since infections are one of the top two causes of

Illustration of collecting a urine sample

How to collect a urine sample properly for testing (UPDATED June 2024)

It is essential for lupus patients to regularly collect an accurate clean catch urine sample

How the Covid-19 Vaccine Works: amazing!

It is amazing how the COVID-19 vaccine works (the mRNA vaccines, especially) It intrigues me how the COVID-19

Discoid lupus erythematosus on the cheek of a white woman with systemic lupus

Can Discoid Lupus Turn into Systemic?- “Sure” Now more about the truth

The Latest Research Answers the Question: “Can discoid lupus turn into systemic lupus erythematosus?” Discoid lupus: note the

Lupus and Gastro Issues

Lupus and its treatments can affect the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, from the mouth to the intestines. Understanding the

Anti-inflammatory diet for lupus and autoimmune diseases

Anti-inflammatory Diet for Autoimmune Disease: New Research (AI Protocol)

The Autoimmune Protocol (AI protocol) is another term for the anti-inflammatory diet. The chart below was shown to

Top Dermatologist Tips For Itchy, Dry Skin in Lupus and Sjögren’s [October 2024 Update]

Quick Advice Guaranteed to Help Most with Dry Itchy Skin: Stop using Dove and other soaps that say

blocks of letters that spell stress and wellness

Lupus and Stress Management: How to lessen stress

Lupus and Stress Management: The Science of Stress and the Immune System The video below goes over lupus

Benlysta Reviews: Learn the amazing truth on how it works

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News Flash COVID-19 vaccine for lupus patients

Covid-19 Vaccine for Lupus Patients: Please get your vaccine

Should We be Recommending the COVID-19 Vaccine for Lupus Patients?: Yes! What I tell my systemic lupus patients

exercise and lupus photo of a woman on a stationary bicycle

Weight Loss & Exercise in Lupus: the science & patient view

The video provided below offers valuable insights into practical information regarding weight management and exercise for individuals with

Lupus and Taking Probiotics/Prebiotics: The truth [Updated JUL ’23]

Lupus and taking probiotics: Should you take probiotics if you have lupus, and what are the best probiotics

Lennon Wall graffiti in Prague Czech Republic that says Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Lupus and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

What do the following have in common? Lupus A drawing by a 3-year-old Julian Lennon Flowers and gardening

Graphs showing Lupkynis voclosporin efficacy in lupus nephritis Lancet article

Voclosporin for Lupus Nephritis: Great results in The Lancet

Note the impressively higher response rates in the blue bars (Lupkynis + mycophenolate + steroids) compared to pink

Botox or filler injections for lupus picture of a woman getting a lip injection

Is it Safe to Receive Botox or Filler Injections For Lupus Patients?

A lupus patient at Kelli Roseta’s “More Than Lupus” asks the question ” … is it safe to

Vitamin D supplement preventing disease: How to prevent lupus

How to Prevent Lupus & Other Autoimmune Diseases [July 2024 Update]

This blog post will give advice on how to prevent lupus and other autoimmune diseases. I will first

Coronavirus vaccine for COVID-19 and lupus patients

COVID Vaccine for Immunocompromised Patients and What Drugs to Stop [December 2023 UPDATE]

The American College of Rheumatology Provides Guidance for stopping drugs to enhance the COVID vaccine for immunocompromised patients

Hydroxychloroquine and Plaquenil Top Tips

Top Tips on Taking Hydroxychloroquine for Lupus [Ultimate Guide APR 2024]

LATEST UPDATES: A study by Dr. Shivani Garg suggests that aiming for a hydroxychloroquine level of 750 to

Melatonin being produced by the pineal gland in lupus

Melatonin For Lupus May be Good Per the Best Medical Evidence [NEW!]

Melatonin For Lupus: What does the Research Show? (Updated August 2021) Why do people

A man with trigger finger due to tenosynovitis

Now Research Shows: Lupus tendinitis, common cause of lupus pain

Jaccoud’s arthropathy due to lupus tendinitis (lupus tendonitis) and lupus tenosynovitis What is lupus tendinitis (also spelled lupus

Malaria organism infecting a red blood cell

How does Hydroxychloroquine work for Lupus (SLE)? [JUN 2024 Update]

December 2022 update: Hydroxychloroquine is a disease-modifying agent for lupus (along with Benlysta). Antimalarial drugs can treat autoimmune

Woman with lupus helping lupus research for the Lupus Foundation of America

Share Lupus Experiences Now: Help current research on lupus

IF YOU HAVE LUPUS OR ARE A CAREGIVER: Help current research on lupus by sharing your experiences with

Research Results in Dealing with Autoimmune Disease Fatigue Now

The causes of fatigue and dealing with autoimmune disease fatigue. Tips on how to improve energy with

Lupus medication list with drug allergy list including sulfa and Bactrim antibiotics

Good Advice on Lupus and Bactrim [per sulfa antibiotic research]

Lupus and Bactrim: List sulfa antibiotics (like Bactrim) in your allergy list if you have lupus Lupus patients

Lupus and High White Blood Cells in Urine

Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease commonly affecting the kidneys and blood cells. One of the lesser-known complications

VA Disability for Lupus: Navigating Your Claim

Some veterans have an increased risk of developing lupus. When grappling with the complexities of lupus, a pressing

Positive ANA workup – Is it lupus or not? [October 2024 Update]

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) are present in up to 20% of the healthy population, depending upon the particular lab

Woman taking pills out of a pill box organizer

Hydroxychloroquine Decreases the Risk of Death

Research article shows that taking hydroxychloroquine decreases the risk of death by 83%: Impact of Antimalarial Adherence on

treatment of lupus showing a lot of pills tablets and capsules

Treatment of Lupus: Best Practices and Guidelines

The treatment of lupus has improved significantly over the past decade. Most patients can expect to go into

Arthritis – “it’s a Pain in the App” [Coping with lupus]

Guest post: One method of coping with the struggles of lupus Living and coping with the challenges of

Effects of lupus on the body

The effects of lupus on the body, a complex autoimmune disease, are diverse and affect people in unpredictable

Image showing complications of dry mouth from lupus exocrine involvement

Lupus and The Exocrine Gland System

Lupus, a complex autoimmune disorder, affects multiple systems in the body, including the exocrine gland system. When the

Survey about being diagnosed with lupus and The Lupus Foundation of America

Participate in this lupus survey if you live in the USA [Survey is closed]

The Lupus Foundation of America wants to learn more about the difficulties in being diagnosed with lupus Click

Symptoms of Lupus in Men

While lupus is more common in women, 10% of lupus patients are men. Understanding the symptoms of lupus

Lupus Mottled Skin and the Symptoms (Updated August 2024)

Among the skin manifestations commonly associated with lupus is “mottled skin.” Livedo reticularis is the primary example. This

Proteinuria in lupus nephritis. This is what a kidney looks like