From the Guidelines
Early symptoms of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) often include extreme fatigue, joint pain and swelling, skin rashes, fever without an infection, and sensitivity to sunlight, which can be difficult to diagnose due to overlapping symptoms with other conditions 1.
Key Symptoms
- Extreme fatigue
- Joint pain and swelling
- Skin rashes (particularly the butterfly-shaped rash across the cheeks and nose)
- Fever without an infection
- Sensitivity to sunlight
- Hair loss
- Mouth sores
- Raynaud's phenomenon
- Chest pain when breathing deeply
- Headaches
- Unusual blood clotting These symptoms typically come and go in periods called flares, with symptoms worsening then improving 1.
Importance of Early Diagnosis
Early SLE can be challenging to diagnose because the symptoms overlap with many other conditions, and not all symptoms appear simultaneously 1.
Disease Mechanism
SLE occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissues throughout the body, causing inflammation and damage to various organs 1.
Recommendation
Anyone experiencing persistent fatigue, unexplained fever, joint pain, or rashes should consult a healthcare provider, as early diagnosis and treatment can help manage symptoms and prevent organ damage 1.
From the Research
Early SLE Symptoms
- Fatigue is a common early symptom of SLE, reported by 89.4% of patients 2
- Joint pain is another frequent early symptom, reported by 86.7% of patients 2
- Photosensitivity is also a common early symptom, reported by 79.4% of patients 2
- Myalgia is reported by 76.1% of patients as an early symptom 2
- Fever is reported by 53.7% of patients as an early symptom, which is a higher percentage than expected 2
Organ Involvement
- Joint involvement is reported by 81.7% of patients 2
- Skin involvement is reported by 66.1% of patients 2
- Renal involvement is reported by 33.0% of patients 2
Autoantibodies
- 83.2% of patients are reported to be ANA positive 2
Disease Characteristics
- SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by inflammation and immune-mediated injury to multiple organ systems 3
- Approximately 90% of people with SLE are female 3
- The 2019 European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology/American College of Rheumatology classification criteria are estimated to be 96.1% sensitive and 93.4% specific for SLE 3