Autoimmune diseases causing joint and muscle pain include Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Lupus (SLE), Sjogren's Syndrome, Scleroderma, Myositis (like Dermatomyositis), Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Psoriatic Arthritis, and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, all involving immune system attacks that trigger inflammation, stiffness, and weakness in muscles and joints.
Symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis may include: Pain, swelling, stiffness and tenderness in more than one joint. Stiffness, especially in the morning or after sitting for long periods. Pain and stiffness in the same joints on both sides of your body.
The "worst" autoimmune diseases are subjective but often ranked by severity, impact on life expectancy, and organ damage, with top contenders including Giant Cell Myocarditis (deadly heart inflammation), Vasculitis (blood vessel inflammation like GPA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (multi-organ attacks), Multiple Sclerosis (nervous system damage), and Type 1 Diabetes (pancreas destruction). These conditions can severely affect quality of life, cause permanent disability, and reduce lifespan if not managed effectively, though rare ones like Giant Cell Myocarditis are acutely fatal.
Fibromyalgia, also called fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a long-term condition that causes pain all over the body.
Signs and symptoms of lupus nephritis include:
Lupus and Sjogren's syndrome are both autoimmune diseases. Up to 5.5 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with lupus or Sjogren's syndrome. However, Sjogren's syndrome occurs up to three times more than lupus, but one-third of lupus patients also have Sjogren's syndrome.
Subacute Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
SCLE can cause circular red patches with a ring-like border that may be scaly. These rashes often show up on sun-exposed skin, including the legs, and usually don't itch or cause pain.
Myositis (my-o-SY-tis) is a rare type of autoimmune disease that inflames and weakens muscle fibers. Autoimmune diseases occur when the body's own immune system attacks itself. In the case of myositis, the immune system attacks healthy muscle tissue, which results in inflammation, swelling, pain, and eventual weakness.
Three key signs of Sjögren's syndrome are dry eyes, dry mouth, and profound fatigue, stemming from this autoimmune condition attacking moisture-producing glands, though other symptoms like joint pain, swollen glands, and systemic issues can also occur.
Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus. They have symptoms of widespread pain along with joint involvement. Most rheumatic diseases are treated with medication and physical therapy.
What is Palindromic Rheumatism (PR) Palindromic rheumatism (PR) is an autoimmune related disease characterized by sudden, multiple, and recurring attacks of joint pain and swelling, typically in the hands and feet.
Here are some specialists who treat autoimmune diseases:
Common symptoms of autoimmune disease include:
Acute pain in multiple joints is most often due to inflammation, gout, or the beginning or flare up of a chronic joint disorder. Chronic pain in multiple joints is usually due to osteoarthritis or an inflammatory disorder (such as rheumatoid arthritis) or, in children, juvenile idiopathic arthritis.
You may have had an antinuclear antibody test, or ANA. This test is often done first to look for antibodies that can cause autoimmune problems. A rheumatoid factor test is also done to look for rheumatoid arthritis. Your doctor will look at several things to decide if you have one of these conditions.
Psoriatic arthritis also may cause:
Specific Tests for Sjögren's Syndrome
Your doctor may recommend some or all of the following tests: Blood and urine tests, to look for the presence of antibodies common in Sjögren's syndrome. The results of an ANA (antinuclear antibody) test will determine if you have an autoimmune disorder.
Nevertheless, the onset of at least 50% of autoimmune disorders has been attributed to “unknown trigger factors”. Physical and psychological stress has been implicated in the development of autoimmune disease, since numerous animal and human studies demonstrated the effect of sundry stressors on immune function.
You can get it at any age, but it is most common in people in their 40s and 50s. Sjogren's syndrome is more common in people who have other autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Diagnosing an autoimmune disease is often a differential diagnosis. This means your provider will test you for several different conditions that can cause the symptoms you're experiencing until they find the cause. Your provider might order blood tests to look for specific signs (markers) of autoimmune diseases.
Joint pain accompanied by fatigue, fever, hair loss, or dry mouth or eyes can be a sign of arthritis, Lyme disease, lupus or gout. You may also notice these symptoms worsen during seasonal changes, particularly during cold, wet weather.
Lupus can also cause other problems in the abdomen, including peritonitis (inflammation of the abdominal lining) and ascites (a build-up of fluids in the abdomen). Symptoms of peritonitis and ascites include: Abdominal pain and swelling. Nausea and vomiting.
Lupus can also affect your hair and nails
The most common type of lupus, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), can cause dry, coarse hair to develop along the hairline. These dry, coarse hairs break off easily, causing the sparse-looking hair known as lupus hair. Other types of hair loss also develop.
Common Lupus Symptoms