What are the signs and symptoms of Lupus?

Lupus may be hard to diagnose. It's often mistaken for other diseases. For this reason, lupus has been called the "great imitator." The signs of lupusdiffer from person to person. Some people have just a few signs; others have more.
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 arthritisblood disorders, fibromyalgia, diabetes, thyroid problems, Lyme disease, and a number of heartlungmuscle, and bone diseases.

https://resources.lupus.org/entry/common-symptoms
The most common symptoms of lupus (which are the same for men and women) 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

http://www.mollysfund.org/lupus-symptoms-and-signs/#3

Common symptoms of lupus are:

  • Red rash or color change on the face, often in the shape of a butterfly across the nose and cheeks
  • Painful or swollen joints
  • Unexplained fever
  • Chest pain during deep breathing
  • Swollen glands
  • Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time)
  • Unusual hair loss (mainly on the scalp)
  • Pale or purple fingers or toes from cold or stress
  • Sensitivity to the sun
  • Low blood count
  • Depression, trouble thinking, and/or memory problems
Other signs of lupus are mouth sores, unexplained seizures (convulsions), "seeing things" (hallucinations), repeated miscarriages, and kidneyproblems.


1997 Revised ACR Criteria for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus 

This is the criteria doctors use to diagnose lupus:  

Malar rash rash over the cheeks and nose
Discoid rash red raised patches with scales and scarring
Photosensitivity reaction to sunlight resulting in the development of or increase in skin rash
Oral ulcers ulcers in the nose or mouth, usually painless
Arthritis involving two or more peripheral joints
Serositis plueritis involving two or more peripheral joints
Renal disorder excessive protein in the urine or cellular casts
Neurologic disorder seizures (convulsions) or psychosis
Hematologic disorder hemolytic anemia, low white cell count or low platelet count
Immunologic disorder presence of antibody to DNA, Sm, or phospholipids
Antinuclear antibody abnormal titer of ANA 

Symptoms 

Aching joins (arthralgia)
Fever over 100 degrees F (38 C)
Prolonged or extreme fatigue
Swollen joints (arthritis) 
Skin rashes
Anemia
Kidney involvement 
Pain in the chest on deep breathing (pleurisy)
Butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose
Sun or light sensitivity (photosensitivity)
Hair loss 
Raynauds phenomenon
(fingers turning white and/or blue in the cold)
Seizures
Mouth or nose ulcers 

This website has a list of symptoms of Lupus with photographs.


This link is to a video overview of Lupus

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