15 main symptoms of lupus (with online test)

The main symptoms of lupus are pain and swelling in one or more joints, red spots on the skin, excessive tiredness, skin lesions after sun exposure, hair loss, increased sensitivity to light, and sores in the corner of the mouth or inside the mouth. nose.

The symptoms of lupus can affect any organ or part of the body, vary in each person according to the stage the disease is in, or appear intermittently, that is, for a few days or weeks and then disappear again, or maintain yourself constantly.

Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the body’s own cells attack healthy cells, causing inflammation in various parts of the body, being more common in women between 14 and 45 years old. Learn more about lupus.

Lupus symptoms

The main symptoms of lupus are:

1. Pain, swelling or stiffness in one or more joints;
2. Muscle stiffness or lack of flexibility;
3. Red spots on the skin, especially on the face in the shape of a butterfly wing;
4. Fever above 37.5º C;
5. Excessive tiredness;
6. Skin lesions that appear after exposure to the sun;
7. Painful sores in the corner of the mouth or inside the nose;
8. Chest pain when breathing deeply;
9. Difficulty breathing;
10. Episodes of seizures with no apparent cause;
11. Loss of hair;
12. Sensitivity to light;
13. Mental confusion, headache or memory problems;
14. Decrease in the amount of urine or foamy urine;
15. Bad being generalized.

If any of these symptoms appear, it is important to consult a general practitioner or a rheumatologist so that tests can be carried out to identify whether it really is lupus and begin the most appropriate treatment.

Online symptom test

To find out your chances of having cutaneous lupus, select the symptoms you may be experiencing in the test below:

The symptom test is a tool that only serves as guidance, not serving as a diagnosis or replacing consultation with a general practitioner, rheumatologist or dermatologist.

Symptoms of cutaneous lupus and systemic lupus

Cutaneous lupus is one in which the symptoms appear only on the skin, mainly on the face and scalp, without affecting other organs. On the other hand, in systemic lupus, the characteristic symptoms of the disease can appear in any part of the body, including the skin, and affect the joints, kidneys and heart, for example, causing more generalized symptoms.

Read too: Types of lupus: main symptoms (and treatment)

How to confirm the diagnosis

To confirm the diagnosis of lupus, the rheumatologist will evaluate the signs and symptoms presented and may recommend carrying out some tests, mainly blood and urine tests, in some cases more specific tests such as echocardiography and tomography scans, for example, may be necessary.

Make an appointment with the nearest rheumatologist to assess your risk of lupus and thus begin the best treatment, if necessary:

The initial tests are blood count, urea and creatinine, in addition to the ANA (Antinuclear Factor) test, which is a screening test that can help in targeting autoimmune diseases. However, it is important to clarify that not all people who have a positive ANA have lupus or another autoimmune disease. Find out more about the FAN exam.

The main changes in exams that may be indicative of lupus are:

• Excess protein in several urine tests in a row;
• Decrease in the number of erythrocytes, or red blood cells, in the blood test;
• Leukocytes with a value below 4,000/mL in the blood test;
• Decrease in the number of platelets in at least 2 blood tests;
• Lymphocytes with a value below 1,500/mL in the blood test;
• Presence of anti-native DNA or anti-Sm antibodies in the blood test;
• Presence of anti-nuclear antibodies above normal in the blood test.

In addition, as already mentioned, the doctor may also need other diagnostic tests such as chest x-ray or tomography, echocardiogram, kidney or skin biopsy, to identify whether there are inflammatory lesions in the organs caused by lupus.

Who is most at risk of getting lupus

Lupus is mainly caused by genetic factors that lead the immune system to produce antibodies that attack healthy cells in the body, causing inflammation in various organs.

Lupus appears to be more common in people who have some risk factors, such as:

• Family history of lupus;
• Prolonged exposure to the sun;
• Viral infections;
• Hormonal changes common in adolescence, pregnancy or menopause;
• Use of antihypertensive medications, antibiotics or anticonvulsants.

Although these factors seem to increase the risk of developing lupus, this does not mean that a person will necessarily have lupus at some point in their life. Therefore, whenever there are symptoms suggestive of the disease, it is important to consult a general practitioner or rheumatologist.

How the treatment is carried out

Lupus treatment must be carried out under the guidance of a rheumatologist who may recommend the use of medications such as anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids or immunosuppressants, with the aim of relieving symptoms and reducing the action of the immune system. Check out all the treatment options for lupus.