Patients with lupus often have difficulty getting a diagnosis in a timely manner. Getting a diagnosis when lupus or any other illness is suspected is important.
Once the necessity of an early diagnosis is understood, finding a physician to help is the next step. Usually a family physician will refer a patient to a specialist for diagnosis and treatment. Often treatment for lupus will include prescription medications which may help patients deal with the health issues they experience.
One reason it may be hard for a physician to diagnose lupus is that the symptoms of lupus are similar to symptoms of other illnesses. Patients with such health concerns may have to seek a second or third opinion. Reports show physicians may sometimes dismiss symptoms that are causing serious health issues for some patients because the descriptions patients give seem vague.
When an autoimmune disease such as lupus is the cause of symptoms, a person may feel as if they have the flu. Some state they feel tired or sluggish. Other symptoms may include pain and inflammation internally as well as externally. Headaches are common as are skin rashes, dizziness, fevers and stomach pain.
Any part of the body can be affected by lupus. When a person has lupus the immune system does not recognize the body and attacks as if protecting the body from foreign invaders. More information about lupus and getting the treatment needed may be found on this website.
If looking for a physician in Charlotte use this link. Support groups for those with lupus are sometimes helpful. To find a support group in the Charlotte area follow this link to the support site.
Research suggests as many as 16,000 new patients will be diagnosed with lupus in the United States each year. Caucasians have lupus less often than others. African Americans have the highest percentage of lupus. It is estimated that 90 percent of those diagnosed with lupus are female.
Credit : Dr. Rahul Bhargava (Bone Marrow Transplant Specialist, Hematologist, Hemato Oncologist- 15 Years of Experience)
