Lupus is an autoimmune disease. That means your immune system attacks your own body. This causes inflammation, which can lead to a variety of symptoms.

People with lupus often have skin rashes and joint pain. You may also have problems with organs like your lungs, kidneys and heart.

There’s no cure for lupus, and doctors still don’t know exactly what causes it.

Most lupus is systemic, which means it affects many systems in your body. The official name is systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

There are some other types of lupus, including a kind that only affects your skin. This is called cutaneous lupus. 

Taking certain medicines can cause lupus symptoms. This is called drug-induced lupus. The symptoms often go away once you stop taking the medicine.

Lupus symptoms

Lupus symptoms aren’t the same for everyone. They can change with time. For many people, symptoms come and go, flaring up and then easing. However, during a flare, they can be very severe. Lupus symptoms can include:

• Butterfly rash, which is a rash across your face
• Joint pain and arthritis
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Shortness of breath or chest pain when taking a deep breath
• Headaches and dizzy spells
• Mouth sores
• Cold fingers and toes that may turn purple
• Hair loss
• Issues with memory or feeling confused
• Dry eyes
• Sensitivity to sunlight

Lupus can affect how your kidneys and lungs function. It also puts you at a higher risk for heart disease.

Who does lupus affect?

Women are more likely than men to have lupus. It tends to affect young and middle-aged women the most. If you have a family history of lupus, you’re more at risk. Lupus is also more common in certain groups, including:

• Black people
• Asian people and Pacific Islanders
• Hispanic people
• Native Americans and Alaska Natives

Black women and Hispanic women are the most likely to have more severe lupus symptoms.

Lupus can be hard to diagnose because it affects so many areas of your body. Lupus can also overlap with other conditions, including:

• Inflammatory arthritis: Pain and stiffness in your joints that can also affect other parts of your body.
• Sjögren’s disease: This disease affects the glands that create moisture, often causing dry mouth and dry eyes. It can also cause rashes, fatigue and pain.
• Scleroderma: This condition affects your skin, making it thicken and harden. It can also cause joint pain and issues with breathing.
• Raynaud’s syndrome: This usually affects your fingers and toes, making them feel numb. Attacks typically last about 15 minutes and happen because blood can’t get to the area.
• Polymyositis and dermatomyositis: These are rarer diseases that cause muscle weakness and severe joint pain. Dermatomyositis can also cause rashes and sun sensitivity.
• Antiphospholipid syndrome: This causes blood clots to form. The clots become dangerous if they break off and stop blood flow to your heart, lungs or brain.
• Mixed connective‑tissue disease: This is when you have symptoms of several of these autoimmune conditions. The symptoms can come on slowly over many years, which is why it’s hard to diagnose.

There’s no specific test that can diagnose lupus. And it’s hard to diagnose based on your symptoms since other diseases can have similar symptoms.

This is why it can take time to diagnose lupus. It can be frustrating to wait for answers, see various doctors and keep taking tests.

We try to make it as easy as possible at Carilion. Our care teams have expertise in diagnosing lupus and related autoimmune conditions by:

• Talking to you about your symptoms and medical history
• Ordering blood tests to check for antibodies that react to specific proteins
• Ordering urine tests to look for signs of infection
• Ordering biopsies of skin, kidney tissue or muscles
• Ordering other tests of muscles or organ function

People with lupus usually need a team of specialists, including:

• Rheumatologist
• Kidney specialist (nephrology)
• Lung specialist (pulmonology)
• Heart specialist (cardiology)
• Digestive specialist (gastroenterology)
• Skin specialist (dermatology)
• Thyroid specialist (endocrinology)
• Blood specialist (hematology)

At Carilion, your care team will work together to:

• Prevent and treat lupus flares as much as possible
• Help reduce your pain
• Slow down joint damage
• Prevent or slow damage to other organs
• Help improve your quality of life

Your specific treatment depends on your lupus symptoms and whether you have other related autoimmune conditions.

Medicines for lupus

At Carilion, we’re actively researching new drugs to help treat lupus. Many of these newer drugs show great promise.

You’ll likely take a combination of medicines to help with the different lupus symptoms. These medicines can help prevent flare-ups or help ease the pain when you have one. 

• Anti-inflammatories: Medicines that help relieve pain by lowering inflammation.
• Antimalarials: Medicines to protect your skin from rashes.
• Corticosteroids: To help with pain and inflammation. These drugs can have side effects, so your doctor will manage your dose carefully.
• Disease-modifying drugs: These drugs dampen the immune response to reduce symptoms and slow disease progression. The different classes of medicines target your immune system in different ways.
• Immunosuppressants: Medicines that make your immune system less active.

If you have other lupus symptoms like high blood pressure or blood clots, you may need other medicines, too.

Other therapies for lupus

Exercise and physical therapy can help you feel stronger. Occupational therapy can help you with the daily tasks of living.

Seeing a mental health counselor or psychologist can also help you cope emotionally. 

People with lupus sometimes seek complementary therapies. This can include:

• Nutritional changes: Focus on eating more anti-inflammatory foods
• Acupuncture: May help with pain and inflammation
• Mindfulness: May help reduce stress and better manage pain