Can Lupus cause low blood oxygen levels and fast heart beat?

[Peyt]

Hi,
Can Lupus cause low blood oxygen levels and fast heart beat?

 

[Thinktank]

With lupus anything is possible. If there's pulmonary and/or cardiac involvement i think a low blood oxygen level and tachycardia is possible.
Do you suffer from lupus?

 

[Peyt]

With lupus anything is possible. If there's pulmonary and/or cardiac involvement i think a low blood oxygen level and tachycardia is possible.
Do you suffer from lupus?

I am not sure.
I am going to see my ND tomorrow whom I have been working with for a couple of months. He has discovered that I have low oxygen (around 96-97) and faster than normal heart beat. (around 100-103). I also get headaches all the time and
have SIBO and gluten sensitivity.
He also discovered my low B12 which I have been getting shots for.
I also have dry and itchy skin and excess mucus since I was a kid.

So I was thinking of asking him to test me for Lupus Anti-bodies.

 

[ShyestofFlies]

Be sure to test for sjogrens/sicca syndrome as well

 

[Thinktank]

@Peyt , if lupus is suspected you really have to see a rheumatologist for proper testing and diagnosis.
Do you have any of the more obvious lupus (SLE) signs? Like a butterfly rash on the cheeks, lesions, hair loss, fever, painful joints etc.?

What do you mean by lupus antibodies? Do you mean AntiNuclear antibiodies (ANA)?
This can be negative in some cases of lupus. To check for lupus and other conditions a rheumatologist will probably also do the following diagnostics.
C3
C4
CBC
ESR / CRP
Anti-ds DNA
Anti-SM
Anti-RNP
ANti-SSA/SSB
ANCA (maybe also MPO3 / PR3)
Liver profile (albumin, AST/ALT etc.)
Urine analysis

 

[Kati]

96-97%O2 sat is not abnormal. Hospitals start to worry below 92. People start being incoherent or cognitively challenged below 88%

Your heart rate can be elevated for several reasons, but in our patient population (ME) the main reason is Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome.

In Lupus, the lungs can be attacked by the auto-antibodies and usually it manfests by pleuresy, inflammation of the lung membranes.

The lupus diagnosis criteria requires the presence of the Double Stranded DNA antibody. There is a test for that.

 

[Thinktank]

@Kati, Anti-DsDNA can be negative in SLE.

According to a study i read a few months ago negative anti-dsDNA with positive Anti-RNP/Anti-SM is seen in the most benign subgroup of SLE. This group is Less susceptible for renal involvement, more susceptible for serositis.

 

[Valentijn]

96-97%O2 sat is not abnormal. Hospitals start to worry below 92. People start being incoherent or cognitively challenged below 88%

Yeah, but some of us react to anything under 98% with tachycardia. I have exactly the same problem.

 

[Peyt]

Be sure to test for sjogrens/sicca syndrome as well

After reading your comment I looked into sjogrens and this also seems like the symptoms that I have.

The only symptom about sjogren that I don't have is decreased mucus/nasal secretions. In fact I have the opposite. I have excess mucus and nasal secretion. I have had the deviated septum surgery 3 times due to excess mucus accumulating and causing sinus infections. This had been happening since I was 2.

 

[Peyt]

Okay I am back from the ND. Here are the tests he wrote:
ANA
C Reactive Protein, Ultrasensetive
C-Peptide
CBC with Diff
CK
Complement C3
Complement C4
Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
Glycated Hgb, A1C
Insulin, Fasting
Lipid Panel, Basic
RBC Magnesium
Vit D 1,25 Hydroxy level

Does this cover Lupus or Sjogerns?

 

[ShyestofFlies]

After reading your comment I looked into sjogrens and this also seems like the symptoms that I have.

The only symptom about sjogren that I don't have is decreased mucus/nasal secretions. In fact I have the opposite. I have excess mucus and nasal secretion. I have had the deviated septum surgery 3 times due to excess mucus accumulating and causing sinus infections. This had been happening since I was 2.

My general rule of thumb is if you have 75% or more of the symptoms for a disorder it's worth investigating to at least rule out or in. Since there is approximately 50% or more symptom overlap with sjogren's and some forms of lupus, the great imitator, and the blood tests are usually on the same panel "rheumatological blood workup" it is worth investigating despite lacking some symptoms. Can I ask, who or what pointed you in the direction of lupus?

My personal diagnosis is currently undifferentiated connective tissue disease which is what they call it when you have symptoms of an autoimmune connective tissue disease but they don't have specific enough test results to specify which one(s). My rheumatologist believes my tests point to a possible lupus or sjogren's diagnosis in the future, but the internet says very few cases of uctd develope into another disorder.

Anyway they say excessive salivary production can be an early sign of malfunction in the salivary glands which can later develope into dry mouth, which is a symptom of both lupus and sjogren's (as well as a side effect of many many medications).

I suggest you call your ND and request if they can mail you and get a prescription for:

• Anti-dsDNA (antibodies to DNA)
• Anti-RNP.
• Anti-Smith (Sm).
• Anti-SS-A (also called Ro).
• Anti-SS-B (also called La).

 

[Justin30]

@Kati, Anti-DsDNA can be negative in SLE.

According to a study i read a few months ago negative anti-dsDNA with positive Anti-RNP/Anti-SM is seen in the most benign subgroup of SLE. This group is Less susceptible for renal involvement, more susceptible for serositis.

Do you have a copy of this article. I tested positive for the RNP and ANCA A-TYPICAL Staining. No ANA though....

If you could help great if not thas fine.

Thanks

 

[Thinktank]

Here you are:

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus with and without Anti-dsDNA Antibodies: Analysis from a Large Monocentric Cohort
Received 12 January 2015; Accepted 2 April 2015
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/mi/2015/328078/

 

[Justin30]

Thank you very much!