The blood test for lupus (questions)
 

Hi everyone. I recently had a blood test to rule out lupus, and it came back negative for it. However, I didn't realize until recently (my sister in law pointed this out to me) the rashes I get on my face is a typical lupus trait. I've always had those and just thought it was due to my typical hot natured-ness (I know that isn't a word but I am a very hot natured person!) I have ran fevers out of nowhere, and so on. Is the blood lupus test the final tool for dx'ing it? Should I request he do more testing? This is all new to me because for years I've had so many diagnoses and not enough doctors willing to test me to rule out other things. Thanks!

My lupus test came back negative along with the positive elevated GAD test for SPS.

If your lupus is drug induced.... and many drugs do cause it,
there is another test for that other than ANA. ANA markers can fluctuate quite a bit. People with lupus can test normal one time and elevated ANA another.
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1065086-overview

If you have angioedema...you will flush ....If you take SSRI antidepressants you will flush, if you have Carcinoid syndrome you will flush like that too. The flush can come from bradykinin (in HAE), or serotonin (drugs, or carcinoid). Not everyone with lupus gets the face butterfly red patch or flush.

I have my lupus flush on my forearms...it goes 1/2 way up. Sometimes it is faint and sometimes brighter.

When I was pregnant and had to take hydralazine for high blood pressure I got a drug induced lupus from that. My knees swelled up terribly for several months. Recently I had another spell of lupus from an Ace inhibitor Lisinopril...that reaction was much more severe.

Thanks so much for the comment mrsD. I'm going to look into all of this stuff and bring it up when I go back to the doc.:o