No one test can tell if you have RA or lupus. Instead, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and family history, do a physical exam, and order some lab and imaging tests. During the physical exam, your doctor will feel your joints to see if the swelling feels hard. If it does, it could mean you have osteoarthritis.
Lupus is not a form of arthritis, but it does include arthritis as one of the most common symptoms, so it is easy to see why some people think about it that way. It is very important not to make this mistake, because lupus is quite different than any other illness that causes arthritis.
Joint pain is common in lupus, especially in the small joints of the hands and feet. The pain often moves from joint to joint. Joint pain, swelling and stiffness can be the main symptoms for some people with lupus. In most cases, lupus is unlikely to cause permanent damage or change the shape of joints.
Mild redness over a joint is common in RA or lupus, but not in osteoarthritis (an intensely red joint makes us think of gout or infection) Limitation of motion in a joint. Joint swelling combined with fatigue or low-grade fever. Morning stiffness that lasts more than half an hour.
Lupus can also cause inflammation in the joints, which doctors call “inflammatory arthritis.” It can make your joints hurt and feel stiff, tender, warm, and swollen. Lupus arthritis most often affects joints that are farther from the middle of your body, like your fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and toes.
During the course of their disease, approximately 95% of lupus patients will have joint symptoms − either arthritis or arthralgias. Arthritis in lupus is due to inflammation of the lining of the joint (called synovitis) that leads to swelling, tenderness, and stiffness.
Antibody blood tests
The test you will hear about most is called the antinuclear antibodies test (the ANA test). 97% of people with lupus will test positive for ANA.
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.
Blood and urine tests.
The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test can show if your immune system is more likely to make the autoantibodies of lupus. Most people with lupus test positive for ANA. But, a positive ANA does not always mean you have lupus.
The most useful tests identify certain autoantibodies that are often present in the blood of lupus patients. A biopsy of the skin or kidneys may also be ordered if those organs are affected. The doctor will look at the entire picture — medical history, symptoms and test results — to determine if you have lupus.
Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are both chronic autoimmune disorders that can have significant impacts on a person's health and quality of life. However, it is difficult to say which one is worse as they affect people differently and have different symptoms.
Both large joints, such as the knees, shoulders, and elbows, and small joints, such as the toe and finger joints, can be affected by lupus arthritis.
SLE can affect people of all ages, including children. However, women of childbearing ages—15 to 44 years—are at greatest risk of developing SLE. Women of all ages are affected far more than men (estimates range from 4 to 12 women for every 1 man).
In contrast to rheumatoid arthritis, SLE arthritis or arthralgia may be asymmetrical, with pain that is disproportionate to swelling (12,13). The arthritis and arthralgias of SLE tend to be migratory, morning stiffness is usually measured in minutes. The arthritis of SLE is generally considered to be nondeforming.
Lupus can be difficult to diagnose because its signs and symptoms often mimic those of other ailments. The most distinctive sign of lupus — a facial rash that resembles the wings of a butterfly unfolding across both cheeks — occurs in many but not all cases of lupus.
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.
New onset of a fever or if your fever is much higher than usual. Excess bruising or bleeding anywhere on your body. Confusion or mood changes. A combination of symptoms such as severe headache with neck stiffness and fever.
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.
An examination of a sample of your urine may show an increased protein level or red blood cells in the urine, which may occur if lupus has affected your kidneys. Antinuclear antibody (ANA) test. A positive test for the presence of these antibodies — produced by your immune system — indicates a stimulated immune system.
Weight changes — Lupus can sometimes cause weight loss or weight gain. Weight loss may be unintentional and due to decreased appetite or problems with the digestive system (see 'Digestive system' below). It can also be a side effect of some medications used to treat lupus.
The effects lupus may have in and around the eyes include: changes in the skin around the eyelids, dry eyes, inflammation of the white outer layer of the eyeball, blood vessel changes in the retina, and damage to nerves controlling eye movement and affecting vision.
Lupus can cause neck and back pain, however, because muscles can become inflamed by lupus. Furthermore, the muscle pain syndrome called fibromyalgia that can cause pain in these areas is commonly associated with lupus.