Hi, I have been diagnosed with Lupus for about 6 years but many doctors have doubts I truly have it. My ANA has always been negative. The only thing I have showing positive is the anti-Smith Antibodies. I only saw One Rheumy ( I am not a huge fan because they don't look for cures but just treat you with meds:) and she said in her opinion I didn't have Lupus with my blood work. Does this Anti Smith test need to be Really high to signify True Lupus? My last test wasn't done on a titer method , so we can't see that detailed information. I am going to try to redo it soon. Would appreciate any input you can provide. I have a lot of lupus symptoms, arthritis, fatigue, light sensitivity but was also just diagnosed with Lyme disease and my dr. says its chronic so this could be the origin of my ickiness and maybe not the lupus...
i hate having more things wrong with me ... would love the list to get smaller not larger.
Don't be so hard on the rheumies- there is NO cure for lupus and all they can do is treat to minimize internal damage.
A positive Smith antibody by itself does not mean that a person has lupus. An anti-Smith antibody is one of the important antibodies in lupus, but not everybody with this antibody has or will develop lupus. Whereas the antinuclear antibody is fairly nonspecific, anti-double-stranded DNA antibodies and anti-Smith antibodies more consistently indicate a person has lupus. Sjögren’s A antibodies and ribonuclear protein antibodies are also seen commonly in systemic lupus erythematosus patients. However, a positive lab test is not the same as having the clinical features of lupus. A clinical diagnosis depends on meeting the criteria set up to diagnose the disease. If the symptoms and objective signs and lab findings, including the antibody profile, match up, lupus can be diagnosed with some certainty. Lupus can also be diagnosed on the basis of a biopsy, such as of the skin or kidney. But a positive Smith antibody by itself does not mean that a person has lupus. You can read more about Diagnosing Lupus on lupus.org.
Thanks. I did read a lot of this online but still feel confused. I guess i will just need to inquire further, test more. But thank you for the kind reply. i did not mean to poo poo all rheumotologists.... in my experience they just prescribe meds and I look for more holistic healing... the whys ... not just treating symptoms. I understand that they might play an important role in others treatment and I didn't mean to down play that. Thanks again for the reply and nice to meet you Poobie :) take care Lulu
1% of people with lupus are ANA neg. I know this as I am one, it's one of the reasons I was not diagnosed for so very long until a kidney biopsy showed positive. So, while rare, it is possible to be ANA neg and still have lupus. Your kidneys or your CNS would probably be your indicators in this case. Constant headaches, light sensitivity, blurred vision, etc for CNS. High proteinuria or hematuria is cause for concern in your kidneys. These should be tested soon.