Greg House Posted:

Is it lupus?

IT COULD BE LUPUS BUT 9 TIMES OUT OF 10 IT ENDS UP BEING ANOTHER AUTOIMMUNE DISORDER. BEST TO RUN BLOOD CULTURES AND SEE IF ANYTHING’S GROWING IN THERE BEFORE BEGINNING TREATMENT FOR LUPUS. BELOW IS A HANDY CHECKLIST I GO THRU WHEN DIAGNOSING MY PATIENTS WITH LUPUS; YOU MIGHT WANT TO COPY THIS FOR USE IN YOUR OWN CLINIC, DR. HOUSE. IT EVEN GIVES YOU THE PERCENTAGE OF PATIENTS WHO TYPICALLY EXHIBIT EACH SYMPTOM. CHEERS!

* Achy joints / arthralgia (95 percent)

* Fever of more than 100 degrees F / 38 degrees C (90 percent)

* Arthritis / swollen joints (90 percent)

* Prolonged or extreme fatigue (81 percent)

* Skin Rashes (74 percent)

* Anemia (71 percent)

* Kidney Involvement (50 percent)

* Pain in the chest on deep breathing / pleurisy (45 percent)

* bumerfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose (42 percent)

* Sun or light sensitivity / photosensitivity (30 percent)

* Hair loss (27 percent)

* Abnormal blood clotting problems (20 percent)

* Raynaud’s phenomenon / fingers turning white and/or blue in the cold (17 percent)

* Seizures (15 percent)

* Mouth or nose ulcers (12 percent)