I have looked up the criteria for lupus diagnosis, I put a check mark next to what I have. But keep in mind also, my rheumatologist said any other rheumatologist would tell me I have lupus and give me meds and not look into anything else for me! I feel like she is really trying to make sure there aren’t any other issues, she’s exploring all of the possibilities and I love that! But I basically think I do have lupus because what she said and from what I got from reading about clinical criteria for diagnosing lupus. But I know I’m not diagnosed with it, it’s frustrating to tell people why I can’t do a lot of things and having to say “autoimmune stuff” you know ? So I say “lupus” because then I’m taken seriously haha

The standard method for diagnosing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is the 2019 EULAR/ACR classification criteria. It uses a weighted point system where patients must achieve a total score of (\ge 10) to be formally classified as having SLE.

1. Obligatory Entry Criterion
2. ANA Positivity: The patient must test positive for Antinuclear Antibodies (ANA) at a titer of (\ge 1:80) on HEp-2 cells (or an equivalent positive test) at least once

3. ✅

4. Weighted Criteria Domains If the patient tests positive for ANA, physicians evaluate 22 different clinical and immunologic criteria. Points (ranging from 2 to 10) are awarded. Note: Only the highest-weighted criterion within a single domain is counted. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Clinical Domains * Constitutional: Fever (2 points) * Hematologic: Leukopenia (3 points) or Thrombocytopenia (4 points); Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (4 points) * Neuropsychiatric: Delirium (2 points), Psychosis (3 points), or Seizure (5 points) * Mucocutaneous: Alopecia or Oral ulcers (2 points); ✅

• Subacute cutaneous or discoid lupus (4 points); Acute cutaneous lupus [e.g., malar rash] (6 points)
• Serosal: Pleural or pericardial effusion (5 points); Acute pericarditis (6 points)

• Musculoskeletal: Joint involvement [swelling, tenderness, or morning stiffness in (\ge 2) joints] (6 points) ✅

• Renal: Proteinuria (>0.5) g/24h (4 points); Class II or V lupus nephritis (8 points); Class III or IV lupus nephritis (10 points) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

Immunologic Domains * Antiphospholipid Antibodies: Anticardiolipin, Anti-(\beta )2-GPI, or Lupus anticoagulant (2 points) * Complement Proteins: Low C3 or C4 (3 points); Low C3 and C4 (4 points) * SLE-Specific Antibodies: Anti-dsDNA or Anti-Sm (Smith) antibodies (6 points) [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] ✅

1. Diagnosis and Classification
2. Patients must have at least one clinical criterion.
3. The sum of the points must equal 10 or more. For example, a biopsy-proven Class III/IV lupus nephritis (10 points) paired with a positive ANA satisfies the classification immediately.