Which part of the body might be affected by lupus?

Lupus is a disease that occurs when your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs (autoimmune disease). Inflammation caused by lupus can affect many different body systems — including your joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs.

What does lupus affect the most?

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is the most common type of lupus. SLE is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and tissue damage in the affected organs. It can affect the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels.

What are the top 5 signs of lupus?

What are the 4 symptoms of lupus?

Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can cause joint pain, fever, skin rashes and organ damage. There's currently no cure for lupus and it requires life-long management. Lupus is most commonly seen in women — typically between the ages of 15 and 45.

What are 4 complications of lupus?

Lupus: Your body's immune system attacks your own tissues and organs

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 triggers lupus?

Lupus can be triggered by certain types of blood pressure medications, anti-seizure medications and antibiotics. People who have drug-induced lupus usually get better when they stop taking the medication. Rarely, symptoms may persist even after the drug is stopped.

Does lupus show up in blood work?

No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.

How does a person with lupus act?

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.

When should you suspect lupus?

Virtually any symptom of illness or inflammation can signal lupus. However, some of the symptoms most closely associated with lupus include: a butterfly-shaped rash on the face. skin changes and sun sensitivity.

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.

How long can you have lupus without knowing?

On average, it takes nearly six years for people with lupus to be diagnosed, from the time they first notice their lupus symptoms.

What age does lupus usually start?

Symptoms and diagnosis occur most often between the ages of 15 and 44. Symptoms of lupus will occur before age 18 in only 15 percent of the people who are later diagnosed with the disease.

What organ does lupus affect first?

Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus. Lungs About 50% of people with SLE will experience lung involvement during the course of their disease.

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 are the signs that lupus is getting worse?

During a flare, some of the symptoms you already had get worse or brand-new symptoms appear. It could be a light rash that spreads or gets darker or mouth sores that suddenly show up. A flare is when you have an increase in your lupus disease activity that can be measured.

What should you not do if you have lupus?

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.

What are daily symptoms of lupus?

Even mild cases of lupus make it hard to do daily activities and exercise. Increased fatigue is a classic sign that a symptom flare is about to occur. Joint and muscle pain. Joints may be painful, red, and warm.

What bloodwork shows lupus?

Tests to Make a Lupus Diagnosis

Complete blood count (CBC): checks for low counts of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Complement tests: measures the level of complement — proteins in your blood that help destroy foreign substances. Low levels of complement can indicate lupus.

What lab tests confirm lupus?

98% of all people with systemic lupus have a positive ANA test, making it the most sensitive diagnostic test for confirming diagnosis of the disease. The test for anti-nuclear antibodies is called the immunofluorescent antinuclear antibody test. In this test, a blood sample is drawn and sent to a laboratory.

What are the 11 markers for lupus?

What foods can flare up lupus?

Foods High in Cholesterol and Saturated Fats

Heart attack risk is 50 times higher in people with lupus, so patients with lupus should be extra vigilant against foods with known links to heart disease, such as red meat, fried foods, and dairy.

What can make lupus worse?

Common triggers include:

Being out in the sun or having close exposure to fluorescent or halogen light. Infection. Injury. Stopping your lupus medicines.

Can you get lupus from stress?

Although doctors haven't proven that stress is a direct cause of lupus, it's known to trigger flare-ups in people who already have the disease. Stressful events that can make symptoms worse include: A death in the family.