autoimmune disease blog

Many people have failed to make a differentiation between rheumatoid arthritis and lupus arthritis. Both of them are autoimmune diseases. It is a disease where the immune systems attack healthy tissues and causes itself harm. So, where does one draw the line?

Medical experts all agree that proper diagnosis and differentiation of these diseases is not an easy job. The sign and symptoms and laboratory test of both diseases tend to overlap.

The similarities

Lupus and rheumatoid arthritis disease is distinguished by having more women being affected than men. They are both categorized as multi-systemic diseases as they can affect and damage many organs in human body.

Like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus attacks and damages the organs. Both diseases also affect the normal function of the immune system, resulting in damaged healthy tissues.

The differences

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus is a complex disease whose true cause is still unknown. It affects many parts of the body including the joints, skin, and internal organs. A person usually develops a rash in the shape of a butterfly on the cheeks and across the bridge of the nose. The symptoms of SLE also including fatigue, hair loss, inflammation of the kidney, mouth sores and loss of appetite.

Likewise, the cause of rheumatoid arthritis is also unknown. The disease may attacks the wrists, knees, fingers, feet and ankles. It is usually certified by the onset of weakness, fatigue, and morning stiffness that lasts for more than an hour. Patients affected of rheumatoid arthritis also complain of progressive loss of appetite and widespread muscle ache.

Someone with lupus arthritis experience joint pain which is not associated with actual damage to the joint itself. There are also some cases where lupus patients don’t experience swelling of the joints.

Even so, lupus results to a more pronounced pain than that of rheumatoid arthritis. The symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis occur symmetrically, as an additive polyarthritis, with sequential addition of involved joints. On the other hand, lupus arthritis is a typical migratory arthritis, or episodic arthritis typical of gout.

The treatments

When a person suffering from lupus starts manifesting rheumatoid-like symptoms, treatment for rheumatoid arthritis should be applied instead.

The good news about lupus arthritis is that it is treatable. This clinical symptom of SLE can be properly managed and treated when treatment plan is strictly followed. This disease is usually treated with NSAIDs including aspirin and ibuprofen. If those medications don’t yield positive results, your doctor may prescribe anti-malarial agents and corticosteroids.

Doctors may also prescribe rheumatoid arthritis treatment forms such as methotrexate, sulfasalazine. In severe cases, more powerful treatment forms are adopted to control joint inflammation. These medications play an integral part in treating lupus arthritis, but it is by far not the only treatment. Supportive physical and occupational therapy complete the effective treatment plan for lupus arthritis.