How do I know if I have RA or lupus?

No one test can tell if you have RA or lupus. Instead, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and family history, do a physical exam, and order some lab and imaging tests. During the physical exam, your doctor will feel your joints to see if the swelling feels hard. If it does, it could mean you have osteoarthritis.

What is the difference between lupus and arthritis?

Arthritis is caused by either inflammation or wear and tear of the body's joints. It is characterized by pain, stiffness, swelling and redness and can limit movement such as in the shoulders or knees. Lupus arthritis is caused by inflammation.

Can RA be confused with lupus?

Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are both autoimmune diseases. In fact, the two diseases are sometimes confused because they share many symptoms. Autoimmune disease occurs when your immune system attacks cells in your body, triggering inflammation and damaging healthy tissue.

What can be mistaken for rheumatoid arthritis?

The autoimmune diseases systemic lupus erythematosus and scleroderma often present with joint involvement that mimics rheumatoid arthritis. While lupus and scleroderma are two different diseases, they often overlap with one another.

Which is more serious lupus or rheumatoid arthritis?

So, is RA Worse than Lupus? To answer the original question, neither disease is “worse” than the other, but they are different, and require treatment accordingly. Patients with each diagnosis can have a mild or severe form of either disease.

Lupus Signs

What tests will rheumatologist do for lupus?

Your doctor will look for rashes and other signs that something is wrong. Blood and urine tests. The antinuclear antibody (ANA) test can show if your immune system is more likely to make the autoantibodies of lupus. Most people with lupus test positive for ANA.

What does lupus joint pain feel like?

Lupus can also cause inflammation in the joints, which doctors call “inflammatory arthritis.” It can make your joints hurt and feel stiff, tender, warm, and swollen. Lupus arthritis most often affects joints that are farther from the middle of your body, like your fingers, wrists, elbows, knees, ankles, and toes.

What are usually the first signs of rheumatoid arthritis?

What are the 7 diagnostic criteria for RA?

The new criteria are as follows: 1) morning stiffness in and around joints lasting at least 1 hour before maximal improvement; 2) soft tissue swelling (arthritis) of 3 or more joint areas observed by a physician; 3) swelling (arthritis) of the proximal interphalangeal, metacarpophalangeal, or wrist joints; 4) symmetric ...

What virus mimics rheumatoid arthritis?

Whipple's disease, a rare chronic infectious disorder caused by Tropheryma whipplei, may present with predominant joint manifestations mimicking rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Does lupus show up in blood work?

No one test can diagnose lupus. The combination of blood and urine tests, signs and symptoms, and physical examination findings leads to the diagnosis.

Do your muscles hurt with rheumatoid arthritis?

Whole-Body Symptoms

Rheumatoid arthritis symptoms can also go beyond your joints. You could feel: Fatigue. Muscle aches.

What blood tests detect rheumatoid arthritis?

What do RA flares feel like?

A person with RA may feel intense pain in their joints during flares. This may feel like sustained pressure, a burning sensation, or a sharp pain. However, people with RA may also experience periods of remission when they feel few to no symptoms. In addition to causing pain in the joints, RA can affect the whole body.

Which joints are most affected by lupus?

The most common joints to be affected are the hips (manifested as pain in the groin), followed by the knees and shoulders. The diagnosis is often made by a plain x-ray. However, in early stages an MRI is necessary to show the problem.

What can be mistaken for lupus?

What are the 4 stages of rheumatoid arthritis?

Can you have RA without fever?

Some people with RA have low-grade fevers frequently, while others may feel slightly feverish yet do not attribute it to rheumatoid arthritis. If your fever is related to an autoimmune disease, treating the autoimmune disease will improve your fever symptoms.

Is RA hard to diagnose?

Rheumatoid arthritis can be difficult to diagnose in its early stages because the early signs and symptoms mimic those of many other diseases. There is no one blood test or physical finding to confirm the diagnosis. During the physical exam, your doctor will check your joints for swelling, redness and warmth.

What are the five signs of rheumatoid arthritis?

What are 3 symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis?

What age does RA usually start?

You can get rheumatoid arthritis (RA) at any age, but it's most likely to show up between ages 30 and 50.

Does your whole body ache with lupus?

You may experience pain and stiffness, with or without swelling. This affects most people with lupus. Common areas for muscle pain and swelling include the neck, thighs, shoulders, and upper arms.

How does lupus affect your feet?

Foot problems in lupus can involve any of the tissue structures in the foot/ankle. These may include, but are not limited to, joint pain and swelling, skin lesions causing additional pain, tenderness and vascular and/or neurological manifestations in the lower limbs.

What triggers lupus flare ups?

What can trigger a lupus flare? Emotional stress -- such as a divorce, death in the family, or other life complications -- and anything that causes physical stress to the body -- such as surgery, physical harm, pregnancy, or giving birth -- are examples of triggers that can set off lupus or bring about a lupus flare.