With a broad range of both symptoms and signs, this autoimmune disease is pretty common among us. According to the Lupus Foundation, more than 1.5 million Americans have lupus. From person to person, lupus manifests itself differently. Some might experience mild symptoms, while others may have to deal with more serious symptoms.
Those who are diagnosed with lupus tend to spot the symptoms in early adulthood, but, unfortunately, because lupus flare-ups are often followed by long periods of remission, this autoimmune disease is often overlooked. Plus, its early symptoms are easily associated with something else.
Fatigue, hair loss, thyroid issues, dry mouth, gastrointestinal problems, rash, or swollen joints are all early symptoms of lupus. So, tell us… Have you ever thought of having lupus when you’ve experienced hair loss? No?! So I thought…
On the other hand, it doesn’t actually mean that you have lupus. Regular medical check-ups and maintaining a good relationship with your doctor could prevent many things from happening. So, at your next doctor’s appointment, ask him/her more about this autoimmune disease.
Until then, here we discuss the early signs and symptoms of lupus.
7 thoughts on “10 Early Signs of Lupus Most People Ignore, But You Shouldn’t”
also can cause clotting disorder. i was diagnosed with lupus after 10 yrs dealing with all kinds of issues the dr said i know you have an autoimmune disorder but your blood work is always good until my sixth blood clot he did an lupus anticoagulant panel and it was positive i was so happy to finally have a diagnosis. another symptom is intolerance of the sun . burns my skin
Yes I was diagnosed with anti cardio anti lipid and take blood thinners every day and the sun makes me feel like I am getting the flu
I no longer test positive for lupus., that was about 20 years ago. Went to a nutritionist. She had me quit eating fresh oranges and grapefruit, and drink water with lemon which neutrilizes the acid. jmw
Joan, drinking lemon water but not consuming fresh oranges and grapefruit to neutralize acid seems strange IMO. How can lemons, obviously a citrus fruit, not be acidic like the others? I’m glad that seemed to help you, I just don’t understand why.
I think another symptom of Lupus is Raynaud’s syndrome or disease. Your hands have poor blood circulation and are very cold. They may turn purple, especially at the fingertips. Also there is poor circulation where your toes and knees are very red. This seems to happen when you have joint pain in this area.
i have CREST syndrome, n autoimmune disease similar to lupus, i have raynaud’s which causes ulcers on my fingertips that are very painful and do not heal, hard to concentrate on anything with constant pain, my doctors won’t do anything but shake their head. The medicine they prescribe is WORTHLESS so i have to drink beer to deal with pain just to sleep, oh by the way, i have all of the classic lupus symptoms
Yes, Raynauds IS a by-product of Lupus.
Although it works a little differently than what you described.
Raynauds is basically an EXTREME reaction, an OVER-reaction to a chill. Just the cold air from the freezer, of touching a cold soda can. Opening a door and feeling the cool/cold air hit your face….
Middle of summer, 108* and you open the door to the house and get that cool air hitting you….and your hands will suddenly go numb. Feet sometimes, mostly fingers and hands and it can be partial or the whole hand. The mechanism is simple. That shock of the cool air triggers your nervous system to react with the blood vessels collapsing and stopping the circulation in one finger, 3 or all of them. Your entire hand may turn white/blue (dead in appearance) or only the effected parts, half a finger, all of them, half of all of them. No rhyme or reason to it…none at all. This effect might last for a few minutes, or perhaps a few hours ! For me it’s usually 20 or 30 minutes BUT it has kept my hand ‘dead’ as long as 2 hours to the point of getting worried and considering the ER. Holding your hand under hot running water helps waste hot water, thats all. It does nothing to help restore circulation like it would if you were simply cold from handling cold items. You still have some ability to use your hand, but its like doing things with a heavy wool mitten. Your sense of touch is diminished and your strength and coordination is greatly reduced.
It leaves as quickly as it came. Suddenly you realize that you have some sensation again and your first glance reveals pink skin again, not the bluish white of a dead persons hand…
It’s an odd and very peculiar disease that they haven’t figured out yet. The ONLY treatment that is 100% preventative is only partially effective and it has possible side effects as well.
The use of “C-channel” blockers (blood pressure meds) that relax the blood vessels so they enlarge thus lowering the blood pressure do sometimes have enough of an effect to prevent a
“Raynauds attack” from reaching fruition. If the meds do their job, they prevent blood vessels from collapsing, so the attack never happens. However, with BP meds, you have to have a BP problem to justify taking those, otherwise you risk walking around on the verge of fainting due to LOW blood pressure. Be careful IF you opt to use a Calcium channel blocker….it’ll help the Raynauds, but it could cause other things…..