Kim’s doctor noted to her that just because you have antibodies for lupus —which is a chronic autoimmune disease that causes your immune system to attack your body and organs such as your kidneys — it doesn’t mean that you’ll be diagnosed with lupus for certain. Dr. Brad Rovin , a nephrologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center , agrees. “Having a positive test for antibodies — or proteins that help your body fight infection — associated with lupus doesn’t mean you actually have the disease,” he says. “Just having an antibody test can bring back a false positive, a lot of people develop antibodies at low levels, and don’t necessarily have the disease.” In the latter case, doctors will just want to watch for any signs of lupus at future appointments.