Article: You can go to any general physician for a lupus diagnosis, but that doctor may refer you to a rheumatologist who may order more confirmatory tests and help manage symptoms with specific medication for lupus. Typically, though, the start of a professional medical diagnosis will be at a standard physician's office. Before your appointment, write down information about when your symptoms began and how frequent they are. Also make a note of any medications and supplements you take as possible triggers. If a parent or sibling has ever had lupus or another autoimmune disorder, you should bring that information with you as well. Patient and family history are very important for diagnosing lupus. ANA is an antibody that attacks proteins in the body, and these ANA are present in most people with an active form of lupus. This is often used as an initial screening test; however, not everyone with a positive ANA test has lupus. Further tests are needed to confirm the presence of lupus. For example, a positive ANA test can also indicate scleroderma, Sjogren's syndrome, and other autoimmune diseases. This blood test measures the amount of red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and hemoglobin in your blood. Certain abnormalities can be another possible sign of lupus. For example, this test can reveal anemia, which is a common symptom of lupus. Note that this test does not diagnose lupus by itself. Many other conditions can also cause similar abnormalities. Your doctor may do several tests that confirm an inflammatory condition, though they will not definitively prove you have lupus. One such test measures your erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR). This test measures how fast it takes red blood cells to settle at the bottom of a test tube in one hour. A fast rate can indicate lupus. A fast rate can also be symptomatic of other inflammatory conditions, cancers, and infections, so it is not an absolute test, either. Another test that is non-specific for lupus but can test for inflammation is a C-reactive protein (CRP) test. This liver protein can indicate the presence of inflammation, but there are many other conditions that can cause this protein to show up. Since no blood test is exclusive to lupus, doctors usually perform a range of blood tests to narrow down the diagnosis. Symptoms usually must match at least four out of the main eleven symptoms that doctors look for. Other possible tests your doctor might use include: A blood test measuring your erythrocyte sedimentation rate. This test measures how fast it takes red blood cells to settle at the bottom of a test tube in one hour. A fast rate can indicate lupus. A fast rate can also be symptomatic of other inflammatory conditions, cancers, and infections, so it is not an absolute test, either. An antibodies to phospholipids (APL) test. An APL test looks for antibodies that attack phospholipids, and they tend to be present in 30 percent of patients with lupus. An antibodies to Sm test. This antibody attacks the Sm protein in the cell nucleus, and it is present in about 30 to 40 percent of lupus patients. Moreover, it rarely shows up in people without lupus, so a positive result almost always guarantees a lupus diagnosis. An anti-dsDNA test. Anti-dsDNA is a protein that attacks double-stranded DNA. Roughly 50 percent of lupus patients have this protein in their blood. It is very rare in people without lupus, so a positive result almost always results in a lupus diagnosis. Anti-Ro (SS-A) and Anti-La (SS-B) tests. These antibodies attack the RNA proteins in your blood. It is more common in patients with Sjogren's syndrome, however. Urine tests monitor the kidneys, and damaged kidneys can be a sign of lupus. You might be required to provide a urine sample so that the doctor can do a urinalysis. This test looks at your urine for extra proteins or the presence of red blood cells. Your doctor might order an imaging test if they think that you have a form of lupus that affects your lungs or heart. A traditional chest x-ray might be ordered to look at your lungs. An echocardiogram will look at your heart. A chest x-ray can reveal shadows in your lungs, which could indicate areas of fluid or inflammation. An echocardiogram uses sound waves to measure the beating of your heart and to detect possible problems in the heart. If your doctor suspects that lupus has damaged your kidneys, they may do a kidney biopsy. The goal of this biopsy is to obtain a sample of kidney tissue. They will assess the condition of your kidneys based on how much damage has occurred, and what kind of damage it is. Doctors can use this biopsy to determine the best treatment for lupus.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Prepare for your appointment with the doctor. Prepare for an antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. Get a complete blood count. Expect blood tests for inflammation. Find out about other blood tests. Get a urine test. Ask about imaging tests. Inquire about a biopsy.
Article: As a threshold matter, you must be at least 18 years old to buy a firearm (21 if you want to buy a handgun). Beyond that, there are specific categories of people who are prohibited from owning firearms. Generally, you can't buy a gun in Nevada if you: Have been convicted of a crime punishable by more than 1 year in jail Are a fugitive from justice Are an addict or unlawful user of controlled substances Have been found mentally defected by a court or committed to a mental institution Are illegally in the US Have a dishonorable discharge from the military Have renounced your US citizenship Are subject to a restraining order for domestic violence, harassment, or stalking Have been convicted of domestic violence Are under indictment for any crime punishable by more than 1 year in jail Generally, the purpose of a background check is to make sure that you aren't a member of one of the categories of people who aren't allowed to buy a gun. However, your word isn't good enough. Nevada gun dealers take information from you and put it through the system to find out if you have anything in your background that would indicate you shouldn't be able to purchase a gun. Beginning in January 2020, you also must have a background check for private gun sales. These background checks can be completed at any gun dealer. You'll pay a fee of $25, as of 2019, to have your background check conducted. This fee is not refundable regardless of the results of your background check. You may get the results of your background check in a few minutes. However, in some cases, it could take up to 3 days. Your background check will come back with one of three results: Proceed: You have passed the background check and can purchase a gun Unresolved: The background check system could not reach either "proceed" or "denied" status. If your background check remains unresolved for 3 days, you can still purchase a firearm. Denied: You cannot purchase a firearm. You can appeal this decision if you think it was made in error. The dealer will have paperwork you can fill out and submit. Provided the results of your background check allow your purchase to proceed, you can buy a gun at any Nevada dealer. After January 2, 2020, you must also pass a background check before you can buy a gun privately from an individual. You also must present a valid photo ID issued by the state of Nevada. You don't need to pass a background check to buy ammunition in Nevada. You don't need to have a license to possess a gun nor do you have to register your gun. You don't have to buy your gun right away. Each background check is valid for up to 30 days for a single transaction. A single transaction can include multiple guns. However, if you want to purchase more than one gun in separate transactions, you'll need a background check for each transaction.
Question: What is a summary of what this article is about?
Determine if you're eligible to buy a gun. Have a background check performed at a Nevada gun dealer. Wait for the results of your background check. Purchase your gun.