Symptoms

People diagnosed with Lupus can experience a wide variety of symptoms. The combination of these symptoms can be different for each individual. Some symptoms include:

• Headaches

• Fatigue

• Fever

• Mouth or nose sores

• Confusion

• Strokes

• Vision difficulty

• Mood swings

• Hair loss

• Swollen glands

• Arthritis (painful or swollen joints)

• Irregular weight loss

• Sensitivity to or rashes caused by sunlight

• Anemia

• Appetite loss

• Pericarditis (the lining of the heart becoming inflamed)

• Seizures

• Depression

• Fluid around the heart, lungs and organs

• Malar rash (rash found on nose and cheeks)

• Discoid rash (rash found on head, chest, arms and/or back)

• Difficulty concentrating

• Pleurisy (tissue around the lungs becoming inflamed, resulting in pain when breathing)

• Raynaud's phenomenon (cold, illness, or stress resulting in pale or blue fingers)

• Swelling of the legs and ankles

Sometimes, Lupus attacks the brain, causing damage to the nervous system. Nerves in the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) controls the flow of information from your senses to your brain and information regarding the movement of muscles and joints. When these nerves are damaged, the following symptoms can result:

• Numbness
• Difficulty seeing things
• Tingling
• Discomfort and pain in the facial area
• Ringing ears
• The inability to move certain body parts

• Dizziness

• Droopy eyelid(s)

• Carpel tunnel syndrome

Lupus can also attack the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) which controls involuntary body functions such as cardiovascular rate and pressure, body temperature, the release of chemicals in the body, respiration or breathing and perspiration or sweating. When Lupus impacts the ANS, it can cause a variety of symptoms including:

• Burning
• Numbness or tingling
• Confusion
• Headaches
• Gastrointestinal issues including nausea or vomiting, heartburn, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion and bloating