How do you know if you have lupus hands?

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.

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What are the first warning signs of lupus?

The most common signs and symptoms include:
  • Fatigue.
  • Fever.
  • Joint pain, stiffness and swelling.
  • Butterfly-shaped rash on the face that covers the cheeks and bridge of the nose or rashes elsewhere on the body.
  • Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure.

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What does lupus look like on fingers?

They may show up as small spots or larger knots. They may also show up as lines or spots of red or purple bumps in the folds of your fingernails or on your fingertips. These spots are called cutaneous vasculitis lesions. They can cause severe damage to skin tissue and gangrene.

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What does lupus hand pain feel like?

Lupus can cause inflammation in your joints, making them painful, stiff, swollen, tender, and warm. Often you may wake up stiff, and that stiffness will gradually ease up as the day passes.

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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.

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Lupus Signs & Symptoms (& Why They Occur) | Skin, Joints, Organ Systems

27 related questions found

What are the red flags of lupus?

One common sign of lupus is a red, butterfly-shaped rash across the nose and cheeks. Chest pain. Lupus can trigger inflammation in the lining of the lungs. This causes chest pain when breathing deeply.

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What can be mistaken for lupus?

As a result, people with lupus are frequently misdiagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, skin disorders, psychological disorders such as anxiety and depression or receive no answers at all.

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What does lupus do to your hands?

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.

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Does lupus show up on blood work?

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.

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What color are lupus nails?

White nails: A loose nail, fungal infections, or a reduction in blood supply can cause the nail to have a white appearance. Red or brown stripes: Lupus may cause red or brown stripes to appear below the nail bed. Also known as splinter hemorrhages, these stripes occur due to damage to the blood vessels.

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What do lupus nails look like?

Nail changes

These are most common in people who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Some people develop a nail infection, which can cause splitting or crumbling nails and discoloration (A), or swollen skin and discoloration around the nails (B). Sometimes, visible blood vessels appear around the nails.

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What does undiagnosed lupus look like?

A tell-tale sign of lupus is a butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and bridge of the nose. Other common skin problems include sensitivity to the sun with flaky, red spots or a scaly, purple rash on various parts of the body, including the face, neck, and arms. Some people also develop mouth sores.

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How long can you have lupus without knowing?

Lupus is known as "the great imitator" because its symptoms mimic many other illnesses. Lupus symptoms can also be unclear, can come and go, and can change. On average, it takes nearly six years for people with lupus to be diagnosed, from the time they first notice their lupus symptoms.

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When should you suspect lupus?

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.

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What can trigger lupus to start?

An infection, a cold or a viral illness. An injury, particularly traumatic injury. Emotional stress, such as a divorce, illness, death in the family, or other life complications. Anything that causes stress to the body, such as surgery, physical harm, pregnancy, or giving birth.

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What happens if lupus is untreated?

Lupus nephritis can also cause high blood pressure (hypertension). If left untreated, it can put you at risk of developing life-threatening problems such as a heart attack or stroke.

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Can I have lupus 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.

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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.

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What hurts the most with lupus?

Muscle and joint pain.

This affects most people with lupus. Common areas for muscle pain and swelling include the neck, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms.

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Does lupus make you gain weight?

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).

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What is the best indicator of 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.

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What looks like lupus but not?

Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease

“There are people who have a milder form of an autoimmune disease who just don't meet the classification criteria for lupus. We call that undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD),” says Dr. Petri.

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What does untreated lupus look like?

Cutaneous lupus (skin lupus) can cause irritating and unsightly rashes. Untreated, these rashes can cause long-term damage, such as permanent hair loss, scarring and skin discoloration. Some types of cutaneous lupus can develop into skin cancer.

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