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No two cases of lupus are exactly alike. Signs
and symptoms may come on suddenly or develop slowly, may be mild or severe, and
may be temporary or permanent. Most people with lupus have mild disease characterized
by episodes — called flares — when signs and symptoms get worse for a while,
then improve or even disappear completely for a time.
The signs and symptoms of lupus that you
experience will depend on which body systems are affected by the disease. The
most common signs and symptoms include:
·
Fatigue and fever
·
Joint pain, stiffness
and swelling
·
Butterfly-shaped rash
on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose
·
Skin lesions that
appear or worsen with sun exposure (photosensitivity)
·
Fingers and toes that
turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during stressful periods (Raynaud's
phenomenon)
·
Shortness of breath
·
Chest pain
·
Dry eyes
·
Headaches, confusion
and memory loss
When to see a doctor
See your doctor if you develop an unexplained
rash, ongoing fever, persistent aching or fatigue.
Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that occurs when your
body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs. Inflammation caused
by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin,
kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.
Lupus
can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those
of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that
resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in
many but not all cases of lupus.
Some
people are born with a tendency toward developing lupus, which may be triggered
by infections, certain drugs or even sunlight. While there's no cure for lupus,
treatments can help control symptoms.
Symptoms of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can vary widely
from person to person. Some people may only experience a few mild symptoms,
whereas others may be more severely affected.
The three main symptoms of SLE are fatigue, joint pain and rashes.
Fatigue is one of the most common symptoms of SLE. You may feel
very tired even though you get plenty of sleep. Carrying out everyday
tasks, such as housework or office work, can leave you feeling exhausted.
Many people with SLE find that fatigue is the most distressing
and disruptive aspect of SLE because it has a negative impact on their
work and social life.
If you have SLE, you are likely to experience joint pain in your
hands and feet. You may find the pain changes from one set of joints to another
quite quickly, and is usually worse in the morning.
Unlike some other conditions that affect the joints, SLE is
unlikely to cause your joints to become permanently damaged or deformed.
Many people with SLE develop rashes on their skin – most commonly on the face, wrists and hands. A rash over the
cheeks and the bridge of the nose is particularly common and is known as a
"butterfly rash" or "malar rash".
Rashes caused by SLE may get better after a few days
or weeks, but can last longer or even be permanent.
Rashes caused by SLE can sometimes be itchy or painful, and they
may get worse if they are exposed to sunlight. This is known as
"photosensitivity".
SLE can also cause a wide range of symptoms. However,
you're unlikely to have all of the symptoms listed below, and many people
with the condition will only experience the main symptoms.
Other features of SLE may include:
Because lupus can affect so many different organs, a wide range
of symptoms can occur. These symptoms may come and go, and different symptoms
may appear at different times during the course of the disease.
The most common symptoms of lupus, which are the same for
females and males, are:
·
Extreme fatigue (tiredness)
·
Headaches
·
Painful or swollen joints
·
Fever
·
Anemia (low numbers of red blood cells or hemoglobin, or low
total blood volume)
·
Swelling (edema) in feet, legs, hands, and/or around eyes
·
Pain in chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
·
Butterfly-shaped rash across cheeks and nose
·
Sun- or light-sensitivity (photosensitivity)
·
Hair loss
·
Abnormal blood clotting
·
Fingers turning white and/or blue when cold (Raynaud’s
phenomenon)
·
Mouth or nose ulcers
Many of these symptoms occur in other illnesses. In fact, lupus
is sometimes called "the great imitator" because its symptoms are
often like the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis, blood disorders, fibromyalgia,
diabetes, thyroid problems, Lyme disease, and a number of heart, lung, muscle,
and bone diseases.
Systemic
lupus erythematosus facts
·
Systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease.
·
SLE is characterized
by the production of unusual antibodies in the blood.
·
The cause(s) of SLE is
(are) unknown, however, heredity, viruses,
ultraviolet light, and drugs all may play some role.
·
Lupus symptoms and signs include
Lupus is an autoimmune disease characterized by acute and
chronic inflammation of various tissues of the body. Autoimmune diseases are
illnesses that occur when the body's tissues are attacked by its own immune
system. The immune system is a complex system within the body that is designed
to fight infectious agents, such as bacteria and other foreign microbes. One of
the ways that the immune system fights infections is by producing antibodies
that bind to the microbes. People with lupus produce abnormal antibodies in
their blood that target tissues within their own body rather than foreign
infectious agents. These antibodies are referred to as autoantibodies.
Because the antibodies and accompanying cells of inflammation
can affect tissues anywhere in the body, lupus has the potential to affect a
variety of areas. Sometimes lupus can cause disease of the skin, heart, lungs,
kidneys, joints, and/or nervous system. When only the skin is involved by rash, the condition is called lupus dermatitis or cutaneous lupus erythematosus. A form of lupus dermatitis
that can be isolated to the skin, without internal disease, is called discoid
lupus. When internal organs are involved, the condition is referred to as systemic
lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Lupus is a complex and poorly understood condition that affects
many parts of the body and causes symptoms ranging from mild to
life-threatening.
There are some types of lupus that just affect the skin – such as discoid lupus erythematosus and subacute cutaneous lupus
erythematosus. Some medications can also cause lupus-like side effects.
However, the term "lupus" is most often used to
describe a more severe form of the condition called systemic lupus
erythematosus (SLE), which can affect many parts of the body, including the
skin, joints and internal organs.
Symptoms range from mild to severe, and many people will have
long periods with few or no symptoms before experiencing a sudden flare-up,
where their symptoms are particularly severe.
Even mild cases can be distressing and have a considerable
impact on a person’s quality of life.
The rest of this article will focus on SLE.
SLE can cause a wide range of symptoms, depending on the areas
of the body that are affected. The most common symptoms are:
As the symptoms of SLE can be similar to a number of other
conditions, many of which are more common, it can be difficult to diagnose.
If you have persistent or troublesome symptoms that you
think could be caused by SLE, you should see your GP so they can try to
determine the cause.
Read more about the symptoms of lupus and diagnosing lupus.
SLE is an autoimmune condition, which means it is caused by
problems with the immune system. For reasons not yet understood, the immune
system in people with SLE starts to attack and inflame healthy cells, tissue
and organs.
As with other more common autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, it is thought a
combination of genetic and environmental factors may be responsible
for triggering SLE in certain people.
How lupus is treated
There is currently no
cure for SLE, but there are different medications that can help relieve many of
the symptoms and reduce the chances of organ damage.
These medications
include:
