bluecross blueshield is a proud sponsor of second opinion. live fearless. hello, i’m dr. jennifer anolik. i’m here to tell you 5 symptoms of lupus. the first symptom is painful and swollen joints. over 90% of people with lupus have joint painas a prominent and often disabling symptom. lupus is usually associated with redness andswelling often in the small joints of the hands. next is extreme fatigue. sometimes fatigue can be a sign of anemiaor low red blood cells.
because lupus is a systemic autoimmune diseaseit can cause an immune reaction against one’s own blood cells resulting in anemia or otherlow red blood cells. third, is skin rashes. characteristically, they are brought on bythe sun, they are raised and inflamed, and persist for days. the classic lupus rash, known as the butterflyrash, appears on the face and spares the ‘smile lines’. but other rashes can also occur including,red patches on the body and even blistering rashes.
there are also discoid lupus rashes whichare scaly and scarring. other skin problems include ulcers in themouth and hair loss. another is chest pain, especially with deepbreathing. this can be a sign of inflammation aroundthe lining of the lung and heart. if either is present, your physician shouldidentify it when listening to your heart and lungs that would prompt additional testingsuch as a chest x-ray or cardiac ultrasound. and a final thing to look for is raynaud’s. this is where the fingers turn blue and painfulin the cold. people can also have raynaud's without havinglupus or any serious health complications.
lupus can be tricky to diagnose because someof the symptoms can mimic other disorders and there is not a single confirmatory labtest. a critical next step is to talk to your doctorand if further evaluation and lab tests point toward lupus, seek a rheumatologist. the second worst problem besides missing thediagnosis is misdiagnosing someone with lupus who has another disorder entirely. and that’s your second opinion five.
