Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect various systems in the body, causing symptoms such as joint pain, skin problems, and kidney issues. Diagnosis can be complicated due to the variety of symptoms, but early detection is important for effective management.
Lupus is an autoimmune condition that can create various symptoms and outcomes. People with this condition may be more prone to infections, kidney problems, skin problems, joint problems, lung problems, heart problems, and brain problems; the disease is called systemic lupus (although some people have a variant that primarily affects the skin) because it can affect virtually every system in the body. Some people do very well with treatment when diagnosed, and others get complications of the disease quickly. Everyone is different, and lupus can change its expression as the disease progresses. It is best defined as a chronic disease, which in most forms, unless induced by drugs, is not curable, but can be managed.
Because the expression of the condition can vary, lupus symptoms can range from mild to severe. The early symptoms of lupus often mimic other diseases making diagnosis much more difficult. There are certain expressions of the condition that are almost unmistakably linked to this disease. These include the appearance of a butterfly-shaped rash (called a malarial rash) on the nose and cheeks, which can still be mistaken for rosacea. The main difference with lupus is that the rash has the butterfly pattern, with few, if any, signs of the rash on the forehead.
Other early symptoms of lupus can include joint pain, photosensitivity (sensitivity to the sun), susceptibility to viruses and infections, and conditions such as pleurisy (inflammation of the lungs). The glands may be swollen with no apparent cause, or there may be pain or kidney problems with no clear explanation. People can feel depressed, exhausted, and can feel worse when there are abrupt changes in the weather. Fingers turn purple from cold, and exhaustion can intensify in hot weather.
Some additional lupus symptoms may be present such as mouth sores, or people may become severely disoriented and have hallucinations or seizures. These are less common, although they can occur. A woman may be diagnosed with lupus after having multiple miscarriages, or persistent anemia may suggest the condition. Another of the symptoms of lupus, which can appear in the first few days or later, is hair loss.
Because of the various symptoms and their individual expression, it is important that if you think you have lupus you tell your doctor. Mention any symptoms you have, as diagnosis is complicated by the number of ways lupus can first emerge. Doctors must perform multiple tests to properly diagnose the condition; it’s not like certain diseases where a single test will prove you have the disease. Sometimes the overwhelming number of symptoms makes diagnosis easy, but other times, doctors really need to evaluate the few lupus symptoms that exist, combine that with a series of blood and urine tests and possibly kidney or skin biopsies to really make a concrete diagnosis.
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