People with lupus frequently complain of a range of circulatory related complaints including cold feet, chilblains, Raynaud's phenomenon and pain emanating from intermittent claudication and reinforce the need for appropriate vascular assessment by clinicians and the need for management of cardiovascular co-morbidity.
Foot pain and limited mobility may be indicators of a systemic disease called lupus. The symptoms may be like those of arthritis, and can affect the tissue structures in the foot and ankle. Additional signs of lupus include pain and swelling in the joints of the feet, skin lesions, and tenderness.
Lupus can also cause vasculitis, or inflammation in blood vessel walls that can block blood flow to your organs. Symptoms of vasculitis depend on which blood vessels are affected.
A fever higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit affects many people with lupus. The fever is often caused by inflammation or infection. Lupus medicine can help manage and prevent fever.
The most common lupus symptoms (which are the same for men and women) are: Extreme fatigue (feeling tired all the time) Pain or swelling in the joints. Swelling in the hands, feet, or around the eyes.
Abnormally high levels of nitric oxide in those with lupus, or other autoimmune conditions, can make the skin's blood vessels dilate, bringing more body heat to the surface – causing warmth, skin reddening and sweat.
Pain and stiffness tend to be worse in the morning and improve as the day goes on. People with lupus can also experience pain in the joints without swelling or tenderness, which is referred to as arthralgia.
Many people described the pain of lupus as similar to having the flu. This means having chills and bone-weary aches throughout your entire body. The pain can be numbing and leave you feeling drained of all energy. “I explain it to others as feeling like the flu: achy joints, muscles, bones.”
Some lupus patients get Raynaud's syndrome, which makes the small blood vessels in the skin contract, preventing blood from getting to the hands and feet -- especially in response to cold. Most attacks last only a few minutes, can be painful, and often turn the hands and feet white or a bluish color.
Summary. Raynaud's phenomenon is the short-term interruption of blood flow to the extremities, such as the fingers and toes. Raynaud's phenomenon may be a sign of an underlying autoimmune disorder such as scleroderma or lupus, so it's important to see your doctor for diagnosis.
Pain and aching in your muscles is common with lupus. You'll usually feel it in your thighs and upper arms. In about 5%-10% of people with lupus, the disease advances to myositis, which can cause painful muscle inflammation, especially in your shoulders, upper arms, hips, and thighs.
Common Peripheral Neuropathy Symptoms
The type of neuropathy with lupus is called peripheral neuropathy and it can happen in your hands or feet. Peripheral neuropathy can affect both sides of your body. Peripheral neuropathy from lupus can have a range of symptoms from mild to severe such as: Numbness.
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.
Kidneys About one half of people with lupus experience kidney involvement, and the kidney has become the most extensively studied organ affected by lupus.
Joint and muscle pain is often the first sign of lupus. This pain tends to occur on both sides of the body at the same time, particularly in the joints of the wrists, hands, fingers, and knees. The joints may look inflamed and feel warm to the touch.
The most important thing that we can do to prevent a cold-weather flare is to STAY WARM. Dressing in layers, covering all skin when going outdoors, or even something as simple as turning up the thermostat in your home or car can make a drastic difference.
Many people with lupus experience reoccurring, low-grade temperatures that do not reach 101°. Such low-grade temperatures may signal oncoming illness or an approaching lupus flare.
Hair loss is common in people living with lupus. The autoimmune disease causes body-wide inflammation that attacks the joints and skin, including the scalp. This can result in hair loss (alopecia ). Lupus-related hair loss can occur slowly, causing hair to become noticeably thinner gradually.
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.
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.
No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.