Symptoms of Lupus

The following eleven criteria for formal classification were established by the American College of Rheumatology. If at least four of the eleven criteria develop at one time, or individually over any period of observation, you may have lupus.

• Malar rash - a redness or rash that may appear in a butterfly configuration across the nose and cheeks. It can appear on one or both sides of the face and is usually flat
• Discoid rash - thick raised patches that can occur on any part of the body and may result in scarring
• Sun-sensitivity - a reaction to sunlight that is more severe than just sunburn
• Oral ulcers - frequent development of mouth or nose ulcers
• Inflammation of joints - pain, tenderness or swelling in two or more joints
• Inflammation of the lining of the lungs (pleurisy) or heart (pericarditis)
• Kidney disorder - existence of excessive protein in the urine (proteinuria), or the existence of cellular casts in the urine. Casts are aggregates of cells, or cell remnants, stuck together which are normally found in the blood, or fragments of the tubules of the kidney itself
• Nervous system disorder - seizures or psychotic behavior that cannot be attributed to drugs or metabolic dysfunction
• Blood system disorder - changes in the blood which may include hemolytic anemia (red blood cells are coated with antibodies that cause them to break down and break apart); leukopenia (low white blood cell count); lymphopenia (decrease in the number of lymphocytes, the main cells of the immune system, in the blood); or thrombocytopenia (low number of platelets in the blood)
• Immunologic disorder - the presence of the LE (lupus erythematosus) cell, a false positive reaction to the tests for syphilis, or the presence of antibodies (proteins that make up the cell's membrane or covering)
• A positive ANA - antibodies made against the nucleus of cells

For further references about lupus, go to the lupus reference reading room.