Lupus is sometimes misdiagnosed as Rheumatoid Arthritis

It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Lupus.

Lupus is difficult to diagnose because signs and symptoms differ a lot between each patient. Lupus can not be diagnosed via a single test but through a combination of symptoms and signs, blood and urine tests and physical examination. The symptoms of lupus may vary over time and can be similar to many other illnesses.

Always consult your doctor or health professional, and do not self diagnose.

Symptoms can include:

Fever, tiredness, dry eyes, confusion, headaches, memory loss, pain in the chest, shortness of breath, lesions on the skin that get worse with sun exposure, pain and stiffness and swelling in the joint, toes and fingers that become blue, rash that is butterfly shaped covering cheeks and nose, body rashes

Symptoms are a guideline only and may apply to either the diagnosis or the reported misdiagnosis, or both. Consult your specialist for further information.

Further reference:

www.mayoclinic.org

Click here to go to the A-Z list of diagnoses and misdiagnoses.