Exams and Tests

Lupus can be hard to recognize, and it sometimes takes weeks to years to diagnose. Lupus affects different people in different ways. And it can take time for symptoms to develop.

Your doctor will record your medical history and do a physical exam. He or she will check for the presence of certain criteria to help diagnose lupus.

Diagnosis and disease monitoring

If you have symptoms of lupus and you have a positive antinuclear antibody (ANA) test result, further testing may not be needed.

If your doctor feels that further testing is needed, you may have one or more of the following tests:

• Other antibody blood tests
• Complement test
• Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR, or sed rate) or C-reactive protein (CRP)
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Urinalysis
• Lupus anticoagulant test, such as a partial thromboplastin time test

Checking for possible organ damage

As part of ongoing treatment for lupus, you may have a:

• Urinalysis to check for protein and cells, signs of possible kidney problems.
• Kidney biopsy, if your doctor sees signs of kidney inflammation. This test may help your doctor find the best treatment for you. Only a small number of people with lupus need a kidney biopsy.

To look for other possible causes of symptoms, imaging tests are sometimes done, depending on which organ systems are involved. Imaging tests include CT scan, echocardiogram, MRI, and X-rays.