{"id":18084,"date":"2019-01-10T14:38:20","date_gmt":"2019-01-10T19:38:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/news\/chairs-corner\/podcasts\/getting-diagnosed-with-an-autoimmune-disease-with-patrick-nachman-md\/"},"modified":"2025-10-23T13:12:27","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T17:12:27","slug":"autoimmune-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"episode","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/news\/chairs-corner\/podcast\/autoimmune-diagnosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Getting Diagnosed with an Autoimmune Disease &#8211; with Patrick Nachman, MD"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"image-section\">\n<figure class=\"thumbnail wp-caption alignright\" style=\"width: 194px\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2018\/12\/autoimmune-diagnosis-image2.jpeg\" alt=\"Dr. Patrick Nachman\" width=\"194\" height=\"129\" \/><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Patrick Nachman, MD<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div>\n<h5>This is Episode Two of &#8220;Autoimmune Disease: Pieces of the Picture,&#8221; a Chair&#8217;s Corner podcast series. Dr. Ron Falk and Dr. Patrick Nachman talk about the process of getting diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and what can help people get through this. Dr. Nachman sees patients who have vasculitis and other diseases that affect the kidney; he is a Marion Stedman Covington Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the University of North Carolina Division of Nephrology.<\/h5>\n<p>&#8220;Remember that you cannot do this alone. It\u2019s very important to engage a confidante, a family member, a friend, a neighbor, who will walk this road with you.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Patrick Nachman, MD<\/p>\n<!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('audio');<\/script><![endif]-->\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist wp-audio-playlist wp-playlist-light\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-current-item\"><\/div>\n\t\t<audio controls=\"controls\" preload=\"none\" width=\"1118\"\n\t\t\t><\/audio>\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-next\"><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wp-playlist-prev\"><\/div>\n\t<noscript>\n\t<ol>\n\t\t<li><a class=\"thumbnail img-thumbnail\" href='https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2019\/03\/autoimmune-diagnosis.mp3'>Getting Diagnosed with Autoimmune Disease<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"thumbnail img-thumbnail\" href='https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2019\/01\/autoimmune-pieces.mp3'>Putting the pieces together<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"thumbnail img-thumbnail\" href='https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2019\/01\/autoimmune-uncertainty.mp3'>Dealing with an uncertain diagnosis<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"thumbnail img-thumbnail\" href='https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2019\/01\/autoimmune-internet.mp3'>Searching the web for answers<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"thumbnail img-thumbnail\" href='https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2019\/01\/autoimmune-blame.mp3'>When patients blame themselves for causing the disease<\/a><\/li><li><a class=\"thumbnail img-thumbnail\" href='https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/945\/2019\/01\/autoimmune-improving-outcomes.mp3'>A few things that can help patients improve their outcomes<\/a><\/li>\t<\/ol>\n\t<\/noscript>\n\t<script type=\"application\/json\" class=\"wp-playlist-script\">{\"type\":\"audio\",\"tracklist\":true,\"tracknumbers\":true,\"images\":true,\"artists\":true,\"tracks\":[{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/945\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/autoimmune-diagnosis.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\\\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Getting Diagnosed with Autoimmune Disease\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"Getting Diagnosed with Autoimmune Disease - with Patrick Nachman, MD\\\" from Autoimmune Disease: Pieces of the Picture by UNC Department of Medicine: Dr. Ron Falk. Released: 2017.\",\"meta\":{\"artist\":\"UNC Department of Medicine: Dr. Ron Falk\",\"album\":\"Autoimmune Disease: Pieces of the Picture\",\"year\":\"2017\",\"length_formatted\":\"19:16\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/945\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/autoimmune-pieces.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\\\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Putting the pieces together\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"autoimmune-pieces\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"5:26\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/945\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/autoimmune-uncertainty.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\\\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Dealing with an uncertain diagnosis\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"autoimmune-uncertainty\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"2:15\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/945\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/autoimmune-internet.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\\\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"Searching the web for answers\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"autoimmune-internet\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"3:00\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/945\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/autoimmune-blame.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\\\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"When patients blame themselves for causing the disease\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"autoimmune-blame\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"1:46\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}},{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/945\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/autoimmune-improving-outcomes.mp3\",\"type\":\"audio\\\/mpeg\",\"title\":\"A few things that can help patients improve their outcomes\",\"caption\":\"\",\"description\":\"\\\"autoimmune-improving-outcomes\\\". Released: 2019.\",\"meta\":{\"year\":\"2019\",\"length_formatted\":\"4:27\"},\"image\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64},\"thumb\":{\"src\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.med.unc.edu\\\/medicine\\\/wp-content\\\/plugins\\\/media-library-assistant\\\/images\\\/crystal\\\/audio.png\",\"width\":48,\"height\":64}}]}<\/script>\n<\/div>\n\t\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> Hello, and welcome to the Chair\u2019s Corner from the Department of Medicine at the University of North Carolina. This is our new series where we explore topics related to autoimmune disease. Our goal is to help patients and their loved ones understand and manage their condition.<\/p>\n<p>In our first episode Meghan Free explained the science of autoimmunity. In today\u2019s episode we want to talk about how autoimmune disease is diagnosed, how patients and their physicians get through the process from diagnosis to treatment to managing the autoimmune condition. I can think of no one better to answer the question of, <i>\u201cHow do patients with autoimmune disease actually get diagnosed?\u201d <\/i>than Dr. Patrick Nachman, who is a Marion Stedman Covington Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the University of North Carolina Division of Nephrology. He sees a large number of patients with autoimmune disease each and every week of his life. Welcome, Patrick Nachman.<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> Thank you very much for having me.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"blue\">Putting the pieces together<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> A patient has otherwise been completely healthy, feels well, and then starts to have what are described as nonspecific feelings of, <i>\u201cI\u2019m not feeling well.\u201d<\/i> They go to a doctor or a nurse practitioner, and ask the question, <i>\u201cWhat is wrong with me?\u201d<\/i> The person doesn\u2019t have a clear diagnosis yet, and the doctor starts to suspect some sort of process that\u2019s either an infection, or an autoimmune disease, or at times one worries about it being a cancer \u2013 how does the physician\/patient interaction help with the initial possibility that a patient\u2019s illness is an autoimmune process?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> This is actually not an easy process, and it\u2019s not uncommon for patients to see several physicians before the diagnosis is finally made. Part of it is that, as you mentioned, the initial presentation can be nonspecific, relatively vague, or may be suggestive of common illnesses or infections, such as a sinusitis or even a urinary tract infection. I think that the story comes together when the patient and the physician recognize that there are multiple symptoms going on. At first sight or first encounter, it\u2019s not clear that these various symptoms are related.<\/p>\n<p>So I think that it\u2019s important for patients, when they encounter their physician, to really mention everything that they feel, and not assume that what they&#8217;re feeling is unrelated to their chief complaint. So if one has sinusitis, or an ear infection, and sees a physician for that because that\u2019s what\u2019s on their mind the first day, don\u2019t worry about mentioning that you also have a rash, or that you also have joint pain \u2013 it\u2019s just putting all of these pieces of the puzzle together, that clues in the physician that there\u2019s something affecting the entire body, not just the sinuses or the joints going on. When these various pieces of the puzzle are put on the table, you realize that you\u2019re dealing with a bigger picture that needs to be put together, and start the workup to think about what might be going on in the entire body.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> In fact, it\u2019s not just at the moment in time, that the patient see the physician. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis, there may have been episodes that are in the past that have had neurological symptoms that people couldn\u2019t put together, so in many autoimmune diseases, it\u2019s not just the current history, it\u2019s also the past history that helps put things together. So what you\u2019re suggesting is that patients, really, before they go see the physician, write down all of their symptoms and maybe write down things that have happened to them in the past.<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> Right, and not be shy about mentioning it. Sometimes we have patients that come back and say<i>, \u201cWell, I didn\u2019t mention it because I didn\u2019t think that it was relevant.\u201d <\/i>Well, don\u2019t worry about that. Mention it \u2013 if it\u2019s not relevant, so be it. But at least you\u2019ve shared this with the physician and it helps the physician put two and two together and connect the dots.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> What kind of physician should a patient with an autoimmune disease see? You said the individual may have seen several physicians before they get a diagnosis. Where to start, and then, who to migrate to over the course of time?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> Your primary care physician is always a good place to start. Several patients end up seeing specialists of various kinds. Lung specialists, Ear, Nose and Throat, or neurologist\u2026Again, what helps get to the diagnosis is making each physician aware of what else might be going on in the patient\u2019s life: what other symptoms are going on, what other physicians you have seen. The diagnosis ends up being made by any variety of physicians. Usually by trying to bring all of these sources of information together and bringing them into a synthetic whole, so to speak.<\/p>\n<p>I want to say that more and more, we realize and we recognize that the diagnosis and the care of patients with autoimmune disease is not a single physician process, but it\u2019s a team of physicians, nurses, specialists, subspecialists, pharmacists working together to take care of the patient, each one with their own expertise. I also think it\u2019s important that a patient establishes a very good rapport with at least one physician that will take the lead and coordinate the care and coordinate the various specialists so that the care is not fragmented but really fits a comprehensive and coordinated whole.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> One chief chef, not multiple cooks.<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> Right. And the chef, as <a href=\"http:\/\/unckidneycenter.org\/kidneyhealthlibrary\/patient-education-podcasts\/celeste-lee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Celeste Lee<\/a> mentioned, has to be the patient. So the patient and physician is really a collaborative work to address the problem. One cannot do it on his or her own.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> The patient\u2019s in the driver\u2019s seat. Physicians are really in the passenger seat trying to make sure that the driver is able to stay on the road.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"blue\">Dealing with an uncertain diagnosis<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Sometimes getting a diagnosis is a very long process because autoimmune diseases can relapse and remit by themselves. Sometimes patients can be ill for a longer period of time without knowing precisely what\u2019s happened. What would you recommend to a patient who\u2019s going through this uncertain time when you may have seen the patient and said, <i>\u201cWell I think you have an autoimmune disease, I don\u2019t know exactly which one. You\u2019re not really ready to start therapy.\u201d<\/i> But yet the patient\u2019s not feeling well. What recommendations do you have?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> It\u2019s difficult to come up with a single recommendation. But if I were to choose one, I would say, <i>\u201cRemember that you cannot do this alone.\u201d<\/i> It\u2019s very important to engage a confidante, a family member, a friend, a neighbor, that will walk this road with you. Ideally be with you at all the physician appointments. When a patient is not feeling well, it\u2019s easy to get distracted, forget questions, forget the answers. Having an extra pair of ears, and a second mind with you in the room is exceedingly helpful. Not only for you, but for the physician, because your friend or family member can help direct the question that you may have shared with them.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> As a matter of fact, sometimes spouses tell physicians much more. If the spouse is the confidante, the spouse tells much more if the patient doesn\u2019t feel well enough to be able to answer or remember those issues.<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> You mentioned also, earlier, writing down the questions ahead of time. Bring that list with you to the clinic visit. You may not get all your answers in one sitting, but at least it will help you keep track of what you want to ask and what you\u2019re worried about. No question is too silly, no question is too simple. Share your concerns. If you are afraid about something, mention it, because sometimes it\u2019s a matter of being reassured that your fears are not justified. It helps the physician and the care team address what really is on your mind, and that is the most important thing.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"blue\">Searching the web for answers<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> When patients have a cluster of symptoms that may be confusing to a primary care person or to a specialist, the tendency is to immediately go to a search engine on the Internet, and try to make the diagnosis oneself. And when one\u2019s out there searching for information on the web, there are all sorts of personal experiences, people sharing their thoughts about disease and treatment, there are commercial sources trying to push one product or another. What\u2019s your advice to patients and the patient\u2019s confidante, how to get the best information from these sources?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> The Internet is full of information. My discussion with patients about this has been mixed. Some people find very useful information, but there is a lot of incorrect information and sometimes the information is downright scary to patients. It\u2019s also important to remember that these diseases are not uniform. Two patients with the same diagnosis may have very different manifestations of disease, and what you might read on the Internet about the disease that carries the same name might not apply to you as an individual patient.<\/p>\n<p>What I do suggest to my patients is to go to sites that are well-vetted. Go to sites of patient advocacy groups, for example, rather than individual sites. Sites where patients and physicians have written information in a well-written but also edited and corrected way. I think that the patient advocacy groups are always a very good source of information. In the groups of diseases that I deal with, for example, the Vasculitis Foundation, they have a web site, local chapters with patients, and they provide very good information. They can also direct you to physicians who have expertise in the disease affecting you. I think that some of the future podcasts are going to be about lupus \u2013 the Lupus Foundation has a lot of information. For patients with kidney disease, the UNC Kidney Center has information online that one can access, the National Kidney Foundation has a lot of information online. These sources are far more reliable and accurate than random web sites.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"blue\">When patients blame themselves for causing the disease<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> The patient has had a healthy, normal life, and is now faced with this possibility of having an autoimmune disease. I think the question that most of us get is, <i>\u201cWhat caused my disease? Did some behavior of mine cause this autoimmune process to unfold?\u201d<\/i> How do you respond to a patient who says, <i>\u201cDid I do this to myself?\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> I think the answer is simple here. You did not do this to yourself. I don\u2019t think there is any reason that a patient should feel guilty or ashamed or worried that this is something that they brought on to themselves. Autoimmune disease is a complex disease. We don\u2019t fully understand what caused this. But we do know that this is not something that patients have caused in any way. So there\u2019s really nothing that a patient should feel that somehow they\u2019re guilty about bringing this to themselves.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> As a matter of fact, if a patient had done something that induced the disease, we would know what caused these autoimmune diseases and then we would be able to answer the question. The reality is we don\u2019t know what caused the vast majority of autoimmune diseases. So it\u2019s highly unlikely that a patient would have any ability to actually cause the disease themselves.<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> Yes, this is not a time for self-blame. The focus must entirely be on management, treatment going forward.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"blue\">A few things that can help patients <\/span><span class=\"blue\">improve their outcomes<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> You talked about a prior podcast from Celeste Lee who talked about patient advocacy. And really, patients who have been successful managing their diseases and take care of themselves really have learned a number of very important lessons. What are some of these factors that result in success? With all the patients you\u2019ve taken care of, what have you learned from them that teach you how to help other patients improve their outcomes?<\/p>\n<p><b>Nachman:<\/b> I want to come back to the idea of not walking the road alone \u2013 bringing a confidante with you to clinic, keeping track of your care, of the plan, of the management. Quite honestly things as simple as the schedule of treatments and medication is very helpful. Write it down. As much as we love to hate or hate to love our new electronic medical record system, the big advantage that I see with that is the communication has improved and we now have an easy way of writing instructions and sharing it with patients and family. The more the patients does that, or the patient and their support at home does that, the better.<\/p>\n<p>Celeste talks about being in the driver\u2019s seat. I think the patient must be in the driver\u2019s seat but may not be able to drive themselves, so accepting help is very important. Again this is not a time to be shy. Seek help and accept it. I honestly, truly believe that being engaged in patient advocacy group is incredibly helpful, not only for the individual patient themselves, but for their families to understand what\u2019s going on. But also to the medical community in helping all of us get a better handle on what causes the disease and how best to treat it.<\/p>\n<p>I think that considering participating in clinical studies or clinical trials is a good idea. I don\u2019t want to sound self-serving about this, but clinical studies are very well thought of, vetted at a physician level, at an institution level, by the ethics committee and also at the FDA level who reviews everything we do. What clinical trials do is give the physician a path forward when the treatment is not obvious. It gives the patient a path forward, and it also gives the patients access to a group of coordinators, nurses, pharmacists, who are overlooking and following that treatment very, very carefully in ways that is an incredible support system. So if you as a patient feel that this is something that you\u2019re comfortable with, ask about it and try to participate in these things. Again the patient advocacy groups are a great resource to learn about what\u2019s being done, where the expertise is, and what are the new treatments being evaluated. Sometimes the treatments are not new \u2013 sometimes they are old medications, but we\u2019re learning how to use them better, more judiciously, how to minimize the side effect profile. This source of information is incredibly helpful in moving the field forward for better treatments.<\/p>\n<p><b>Falk:<\/b> If we could sum up what you\u2019ve just said, if a patient has an autoimmune disease, the whole family and the whole support system then participates in the care of the autoimmune process.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you, Dr. Nachman. And thanks to our listeners for tuning in. If you enjoy this series, you can <a href=\"https:\/\/itunes.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/unc-department-of-medicine-chairs-corner\/id1076686662?mt=2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">subscribe to the Chair\u2019s Corner on iTunes<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNCDeptMedicine\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">like us on FaceBook<\/a> so you\u2019ll know when we post our next episode. Thanks so much for listening.<\/p>\n<p class=\"MsoNormal\"><span style=\"line-height: 1.43em\">*<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"alert alert-blue width:100% \">\n<p><strong>Visit these sites for information referenced in the podcast conversation.<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/unckidneycenter.org\/kidneyhealthlibrary\/patient-education-podcasts\/celeste-lee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Celeste Castillo Lee&#8217;s Work in Patient Engagement<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Clinical trials in the United States<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.lupus.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lupus Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidney.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Kidney Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/unckidneycenter.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UNC Kidney Center Patient Education<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a class=\"external-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vasculitisfoundation.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vasculitis Foundation<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>\/\/<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><!-- description --> <\/p>\n<p class='lead'>This is Episode Two of &#8220;Autoimmune Disease: Pieces of the Picture,&#8221; a new Chair&#8217;s Corner podcast series. Dr. Ron Falk and Dr. Patrick Nachman talk about the process of getting diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and what can help people get through this. Dr. Nachman sees patients who have vasculitis and other diseases that affect the kidney; he is a Marion Stedman Covington Distinguished Professor of Medicine in the University of North Carolina Division of Nephrology.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":4508,"menu_order":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"podcast-category":[634,692,639],"class_list":["post-18084","episode","type-episode","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","podcast-category-podcast-autoimmune-disease-series","podcast-category-kidney-autoimmune-podcasts","podcast-category-podcast","odd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Getting Diagnosed with an Autoimmune Disease - with Patrick Nachman, MD | Department of Medicine<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/medicine\/news\/chairs-corner\/podcast\/autoimmune-diagnosis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Getting Diagnosed with an Autoimmune Disease - with Patrick Nachman, MD | Department of Medicine\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This is Episode Two of &quot;Autoimmune Disease: Pieces of the Picture,&quot; a new Chair&#039;s Corner podcast series. Dr. Ron Falk and Dr. Patrick Nachman talk about the process of getting diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and what can help people get through this. 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