Contact Musculoskeletal Australia for information and contact details. This page has been produced in consultation with and approved by:. Myalgic encephalomyelitis, commonly known as chronic fatigue syndrome, can affect people of any age, including children. Type 1 diabetes can affect anyone of any age, but is more common in people under 30 years. Fluid retention oedema occurs when fluid isn't removed from the body tissues, including the skin.
Causes include the body's reaction to hot weather, a high salt intake, and the hormones associated with the menstrual cycle. Symptoms include swelling of body parts such as feet, hands and ankles, a feeling of stiffness or aching and weight fluctuations. Drinking plenty of water will actually help your kidneys to flush out excess fluid. Fluid retention may be a sign of disease.
Henoch-Schonlein purpura causes a purple spotted skin rash which lasts around one to four weeks, and is often marked by relapses. Content on this website is provided for information purposes only.
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Skip to main content. Immune system. Home Immune system. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. How is lupus diagnosed? How is lupus treated? Support for people with lupus Where to get help. Systemic lupus erythematosus SLE , otherwise known as lupus, is a chronic condition that results from a malfunctioning immune system. The immune system is designed to identify foreign bodies such as bacteria and viruses and attack them to keep us healthy.
However in the case of lupus, your immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue, causing inflammation in parts of the body such as the skin, joints, kidneys, heart and lungs. Types of lupus There are different types of lupus. Other types of lupus are: discoid lupus erythematosus DLE — a chronic skin condition that appears as reddened and round scaly patches that tend to develop in sun-exposed areas such as the face and hands.
Sometimes lesions can develop across other areas of the body, including the neck and upper back. There is no cure, but the skin lesions can be managed with medication and by avoiding exposure to sunlight drug-induced lupus — some medications can provoke SLE-like symptoms, which then disappear once the medications are stopped.
Medications that are known to cause lupus-like symptoms include certain medications used to treat high blood pressure and medications for heart abnormalities neonatal lupus — this is a rare form of temporary lupus that affects a foetus or newborn baby. It occurs when the autoantibodies of a mother with SLE are passed to her child before birth. A doctor would also be on the lookout for more characteristic signs of the disease, like swollen joints or a rash that gets worse in the sun, before ordering tests to check for auto-antibodies, says Dr.
Lupus is considered a systemic disease because it can affect just about every organ in your body, from your skin to your heart to your GI tract. If the inflammation goes unchecked for a long time because you were misdiagnosed or not treated at all, you could experience organ damage and serious complications as a result.
This is especially true when your kidneys are involved, Dr. Blazer notes. People with well-controlled lupus can have normal life expectancies. A misdiagnosis may signal something else too. Here are the conditions that are most likely to mimic the symptoms of lupus and how to make sure you get the right diagnosis. This autoimmune disorder is another systemic disease, which means the inflammation not only damages joints but can cause increase the risk of heart disease and cause scarring in the lungs.
Some symptoms of RA are similar to those of lupus, including fatigue, fever , rashes , and dry eyes. Both conditions tend to affect the joints symmetrically too. This means that if the joints in your right hand are swollen and painful, the joints in your left hand will be too. Petri explains. Because these diseases cannot be diagnosed based on symptoms alone, a rheumatologist will probably order blood tests to check for various autoantibodies, which are markers in your blood that your immune system makes when it is attacking itself.
However, roughly 20 to 30 percent of RA patients do not test positive for those antibodies and are considered to have seronegative rheumatoid arthritis.
Instead, their fingers may get deformed because their tendons and ligaments have loosened and lengthened. Read more about here about differences between rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. While some treatments for RA and lupus are the same NSAIDs, steroids, and the disease-modifying medication hydroxychloroquine , there are big differences in the ways these diseases are treated and the damage they can do to certain organs such as the kidneys, in the case of lupus , so getting the right diagnosis and treatment is key.
One of the characteristic signs of lupus is a skin rash. The most common is the butterfly or malar rash that affects the cheekbones and the bridge of the nose, and the jawline. This is a red, flat rash that looks like a sunburn. There are two other types of rashes that occur with lupus: a discoid rash, which produces round lesions that are red and scaly and often appear on the face and scalp, and another red, scaly rash known as subacute cutaneous lupus that can appear on the arms, shoulders, back, and neck — or the parts of your body that are exposed to UV rays.
For many lupus patients, these rashes get worse in the sun. They need to have a hat on just for that limited exposure. But there are other rashes — unrelated to lupus — that can happen after sun exposure. One is called solar urticaria, which are itchy bumps that can appear in even non-exposed areas of your body. Rosacea, which can also be triggered by sunlight, often looks like a lupus rash because it tends to be red and flat and have a butterfly pattern.
That will tell them if the rash is caused by lupus, another autoimmune disorder such as dermatomyositis, or something else. Like lupus, dermatomyositis is an autoimmune disorder that tends to affect women, especially Black women more than men. Most of the time, they are between the ages of 30 and People with dermatomyositis have a dark red or purple rash that typically appears on the back and shoulders as well as the face, especially the cheeks.
Plus, when doctors do a skin biopsy, the two conditions can often look the same. Dermatomyositis, which is a rarer condition than lupus, also causes muscle weakness, so a rheumatologist will do a physical exam to test your muscles, especially those closest to your torso, like the ones in your neck, shoulders, hips, and back.
A blood test can check for particular autoantibodies that are found in people with dermatomyositis and other forms of myositis — there are about 15 specific ones. People with dermatomyositis will also have elevated levels of muscle enzyme called creatine kinase CK. Blazer explains. They may test positive for antinuclear antibodies ANAs.
They also have symptoms that can look like lupus, including hair loss , rashes, and achy or swollen, red joints. They may have anemia.
About 10 percent of people with UCTD will develop lupus. Learn more: Visualize the effects of lupus on the body ». About 90 percent of people with lupus experience some level of fatigue. An afternoon nap does the trick for some people, but sleeping too much during the day can lead to insomnia at night. It may be difficult, but if you can remain active and stick to a daily routine, you may be able to keep your energy levels up.
Some causes of fatigue can be treated. One of the early symptoms of lupus is a low-grade fever for no apparent reason. Because it may hover somewhere between People with lupus may experience this type of fever off and on.
A low-grade fever could be a symptom of inflammation, infection, or imminent flare-up. If you have recurrent, low-grade fevers, make an appointment to see your doctor. Thinning hair is often one of the first symptoms of lupus. Hair loss is the result of inflammation of the skin and scalp. Some people with lupus lose hair by the clump. More often, hair thins out slowly.
Some people also have thinning of the beard, eyebrows, eyelashes, and other body hair. Lupus treatment usually results in renewed hair growth. But if you develop lesions on your scalp, hair loss in those areas may be permanent. One of the most visible symptoms of lupus is a butterfly-shaped rash that appears over the bridge of the nose and on both cheeks. About 50 percent of people with lupus have this rash. It can occur suddenly or appear after exposure to sunlight.
Sometimes the rash appears just before a flare-up. Lupus can also cause non-itchy lesions in other areas of the body. Rarely, lupus can cause hives. Many people with lupus are sensitive to the sun, or even to artificial lighting. Some experience discoloration in the fingers and toes. Inflammation of the pulmonary system is another possible symptom of lupus.
The lungs become inflamed, and the swelling can extend to lung blood vessels. Even the diaphragm may be affected. These conditions can all lead to chest pain when you try to breathe in. This condition is often referred to as pleuritic chest pain. Over time, breathing issues from lupus can shrink lung size. Ongoing chest pain and shortness of breath characterize this condition.
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