Diseases We Treat

Lupus is perhaps one of Rheumatology’s most complex and mysterious autoimmune disorders. 9 out of every 10 patients with this relatively uncommon disorder are women. Manifestations of Lupus vary significantly from patient to patient. The disease most commonly affects the skin, kidneys, and joints but can affect other systems. Because of this heterogenous nature of the disease, the diagnosis of Lupus can be extremely challenging even to trained Rheumatologists. At our care center we have a particular expertise at identifying the disease but perhaps more importantly we can more confidently rule the disease out. Our providers rely on our usual methodical approach consisting primarily of a history and physical examination. We also leverage very specialized autoimmune testing to help make conclusions about the diagnosis. We have considerable experience using the Exagen Specialty lab, which has specialty assays that help us diagnose and follow patients with established Lupus. In particular our providers are quite familiar with the AVISE CTD® assay which has proven reliability in the confirmation of Lupus. With proper diagnosis and treatment most of our Lupus patients go on to live full, energetic lives.