SLE - Diagnosis

Diagnosis of SLE :

SLE is diagnosed if the patient has biopsy-proven lupus nephritis with anti-nuclear antibodies or anti-dsDNA antibodies, or the patient has four of the criteria below, including at least one clinical and one immunologic criterion.

Clinical criteria :

•     Serositis – pleurisy or pericarditis

•     Oral or nasopharyngeal ulcers

•     Arthritis - two or more peripheral joints with tenderness or swelling

•     Photosensitivity

•     Blood disorders - Leukopenia, lymphopenia, thrombocytopenia, hemolytic anemia

•     Renal involvement - Proteinuria (>0.5 g/24h) or cellular casts

•     Neurologic disorder - seizures or psychosis in the absence of other causes

•     Malar rash

•     Discoid rash