What happens if lupus goes untreated?

If left untreated, it can put you at risk of developing life-threatening problems such as a heart attack or stroke.

Does lupus progressively get worse?

Overall, SLE gradually gets worse over time, and damage to the major organs of the body can be life-threatening.

Does lupus get worse if not treated?

If you are experiencing any of the more common symptoms of lupus, it is important to talk to your doctor. If it is left untreated, lupus can do irreparable damage to your body. While there is no cure for lupus, there are many things that can be done to try to promote remissions and to limit damage to vital organs.

Can you have lupus for years and not know it?

Lupus can be hard to diagnose because it has many symptoms that are often mistaken for symptoms of other diseases. Many people have lupus for a while before they find out they have it. If you have symptoms of lupus, tell your doctor right away. No single test can tell if a person has lupus.

What are the four stages of lupus?

Understanding Lupus: Activist Spreads Awareness, Breaks Stigmas

What is the number one symptom of lupus?

The most common lupus symptoms (which are the same for men and women) are: Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time) Pain or swelling in the joints. Swelling in the hands, feet, or around the eyes.

What can trigger lupus?

What is commonly misdiagnosed as lupus?

Other skin conditions that sometimes mimic the skin problems of lupus include melasma, psoriasis, eczema (atopic dermatitis), and facial seborrheic dermatitis. A dermatologist can diagnose these skin conditions. The symptoms of clinical depression can mimic lupus symptoms, and vice versa.

What illnesses can be mistaken for lupus?

What is the first stage of lupus?

The first symptoms of lupus usually occur somewhere between the teen years and the 30s and may be mild, severe, sporadic, or continual. Common general symptoms include fatigue, fever, and hair loss. Lupus can also affect individual organs and body parts, such as the skin, kidneys, and joints.

What organ does lupus affect the most?

Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus.

What is the end stage of lupus?

Lupus nephritis is one of the most serious complications of lupus. It occurs when SLE causes your immune system to attack your kidneys — specifically, the parts of your kidney that filter your blood for waste products. The kidneys play a vital part in your body's functioning.

How quickly does lupus progress?

Lupus nephritis tends to develop within 5 years of the appearance of initial lupus symptoms. The condition affects about 40% of people who have SLE and can lead to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) in 22% of patients over a period of 15 years.

What is lupus pain like?

Muscle and joint pain.

You may experience pain and stiffness, with or without swelling. This affects most people with lupus. Common areas for muscle pain and swelling include the neck, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms.

What jobs to avoid with lupus?

Many lupus patients aren't able to do intensive physical work, like waitressing or working in a grocery store. Jobs that involve standing for long periods, like working a cash register, greeting customers, or being a hostess at a restaurant, can be physically tiring as well as rough on the joints.

Do lupus patients qualify for disability?

For Social Security's purposes, lupus qualifies as a disability when it meets these conditions: It involves two or more organs or body systems. It includes at least two major signs or symptoms, such as severe fatigue, fever, malaise, and involuntary weight loss.

What blood tests show lupus flare?

Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test.

A positive test for the presence of these antibodies — produced by your immune system — indicates a stimulated immune system. While most people with lupus have a positive ANA test, most people with a positive ANA do not have lupus.

How do rheumatologists diagnose lupus?

If your doctor suspects you have lupus based on your symptoms, a series of blood tests will be done in order to confirm the diagnosis. The most important blood screening test is ANA. If ANA is negative, you don't have lupus. However, if ANA is positive, you might have lupus and will need more specific tests.

What are the early signs of lupus in females?

Common symptoms include fatigue, hair loss, sun sensitivity, painful and swollen joints, unexplained fever, skin rashes, and kidney problems. There is no one test for SLE. Usually, your doctor will ask you about your family and personal medical history and your symptoms. Your doctor will also do some laboratory tests.

What does it mean to be borderline lupus?

A doctor may use the phrase "borderline lupus" when symptoms or blood test results suggest lupus, but there is not enough information for a definite diagnosis.

What are the symptoms of late onset lupus?

Arthritis, fever, serositis, sicca symptoms, Raynaud's syndrome, lung disease and neuropsychiatric symptoms are more common in patients with elderly-onset lupus, while malar rash, discoid lupus and glomerulonephritis are less common in elderly-onset patients compared with younger lupus patients.

Where does lupus start in the body?

Lupus occurs when the immune system, which normally helps protect the body from infection and disease, attacks its own tissues. This attack causes inflammation, and in some cases permanent tissue damage, which can be widespread – affecting the skin, joints, heart, lung, kidneys, circulating blood cells, and brain.

Can lupus affect your brain?

Lupus can affect both the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system. Lupus may attack the nervous system via antibodies that bind to nerve cells or the blood vessels that feed them, or by interrupting the blood flow to nerves.

What are the signs that lupus is getting worse?

How long does it take lupus to affect organs?

What is the risk of organ damage in lupus? Based on different studies, 10%-30%, 20%-40%, and 30%-50% of SLE patients have demonstrated organ damage at one, five, and 10 years, respectively. In early disease, higher damage index scores are associated with a poor prognosis.