Great interview from the world of lupus research - broadening the lupus diagnoses net!
I'm pleased to share a link to an interview, featuring one of my favorite lupus experts, Dr. Susan Manzi. Dr. Manzi always has something interesting to say, and a great way of saying it, and this interview is no exception.
Here, Dr. Manzi elaborates on the new diagnostic criteria that will ideally help people get a more accurate diagnosis of lupus faster. This new criteria allows for a broader, yet equally as specific diagnosis of systemic lupus by catching more versions of the bio-markers that have historically indicated a diagnosis of lupus. (For example - instead of the malar (butterfly) rash being the only rash that is an official bio marker of the disease, the broader criteria allows for several other forms of rashes (that are perhaps more common) to be bio markers. (Interestingly, in my 14 years, I've never had the malar rash, but I've had plenty of other rashes along the way. While I certainly don't need any more proof that I have SLE, it's good to know that one of those might count toward a diagnosis!)
Dr. Manzi goes on to say that historically, a positive ANA has been considered "the lupus test", and is typically a pre-cursor to exploring whether or not someone has lupus. But she points out that it's estimated that nearly 32 million people have a positive ANA, while only 1.5 million actually have lupus. That alone tells you how mistakenly broad the old "lupus test" has been!
Watch the video below, you'll learn a ton! As always, thanks to Dr. Manzi for putting the latest and greatest lupus developments into layman's terms.
VIDEO: New diagnostic criteria catch systemic lupus earlier : Family Practice News
Here, Dr. Manzi elaborates on the new diagnostic criteria that will ideally help people get a more accurate diagnosis of lupus faster. This new criteria allows for a broader, yet equally as specific diagnosis of systemic lupus by catching more versions of the bio-markers that have historically indicated a diagnosis of lupus. (For example - instead of the malar (butterfly) rash being the only rash that is an official bio marker of the disease, the broader criteria allows for several other forms of rashes (that are perhaps more common) to be bio markers. (Interestingly, in my 14 years, I've never had the malar rash, but I've had plenty of other rashes along the way. While I certainly don't need any more proof that I have SLE, it's good to know that one of those might count toward a diagnosis!)
Dr. Manzi goes on to say that historically, a positive ANA has been considered "the lupus test", and is typically a pre-cursor to exploring whether or not someone has lupus. But she points out that it's estimated that nearly 32 million people have a positive ANA, while only 1.5 million actually have lupus. That alone tells you how mistakenly broad the old "lupus test" has been!
Watch the video below, you'll learn a ton! As always, thanks to Dr. Manzi for putting the latest and greatest lupus developments into layman's terms.
VIDEO: New diagnostic criteria catch systemic lupus earlier : Family Practice News
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