Both Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) are autoimmune diseases and they are often confused with one another as they share many symptoms. If your immune system attacks the cells in your body, causing inflammation and damage to healthy tissues, then it is referred to as autoimmune disease. Though scientists are still debating what triggers autoimmune disease, they are confident that it can run in families. According to the National Institutes of Health, women, especially African-American, Native-American, and Hispanic women, are at a greater risk of having an autoimmune disease.
Similarities Between Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Both diseases can cause your joints to become hot and delicate, therefore the most obvious similarity between the two autoimmune diseases is joint pain. Depending on the levels of inflammation, joint swelling is another common symptom.
Additionally, if you have either disease, you might feel fatigue or weakness on a daily basis as both Lupus and RA affect your energy levels. Although it is more common with lupus, another symptom of both lupus and RA is a periodic fever. Mentioned previously, both of these autoimmune diseases are more common in women than in men.
Differences Between Lupus and Rheumatoid Arthritis
With only a few similarities between the two diseases, there are vast differences seen in lupus and RA. For instance, there is the possibility that lupus could cause joint pain, however, it is much more likely that it will affect your internal organs and skin in comparison to RA. Furthermore, lupus can cause life-threatening conditions, such as kidney failure, clotting problems, or seizures, all of which are not symptoms of RA.
On the other hand, RA will primarily attack your joints and affect the fingers, wrists, knees, and ankles. Furthermore, RA can cause the joints to deform, while lupus does not. In some cases, RA is associated with an inflammation in the lungs and around the heart, however, this is less common now with the current therapies that have been made available.
Yet another difference between the two diseases is just how long the pain lasts throughout the day. If you have RA, the pain is usually worse in the mornings and it tends to get better as the day goes on. Lupus, on the other hand, causes joint pain that lasts throughout the day and can eventually migrate to another part of the body.
Misdiagnosing Lupus and RA
At the early stages of either disease, it is very common for people to be misdiagnosed as these two diseases share similar symptoms. If your RA has advanced, doctor’s will be able to tell right away as the disease causes bone erosion and deformity if treatment is not provided. Lupus, however, does not cause bone erosions.
Furthermore, a doctor is usually able to make a diagnosis by looking at your symptoms in the early stages of both diseases. For instance, a doctor might order a blood panel to check the health of your organs as lupus affects the kidney and can cause anemia or weight changes.
Meeting Diagnostic Criteria
Both RA and lupus can be difficult to diagnose, especially early on when there are few symptoms present.
In order to be diagnosed with systemic lupus, an individual has to meet at least 4 out of 11 criteria. The criteria is as follows:
- malar rash: a rash that appears on the cheeks or nose
- discoid lupus: red patches that are raised on the skin
- photosensitivity: developing a skin rash after having been exposed to sunlight
- arthritis: arthritis that does not cause bone erosion or deformity
- heart and lung changes: an inflammation of the lining of the heart or lungs
- neurological symptoms: seizures or psychosis
- kidney symptoms: protein casts in the urine
- blood disorders: low white blood cell and platelet count and anemia
- immunologic disorder: antibodies to double stranded DNA
- presence of antinuclear antibodies
To be diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an individual has to meet at least 6 points on the RA classifications scale. The scale includes:
- symptoms that affect one or more joints (5 points)
- testing positive for anticitrullinated protein antibodies in your blood (3 points)
- positive C-reactive protein (1 point)
- symptoms that last longer than 6 weeks (1 point)
Overlap Disease
Overlap disease, also known as comorbidity, refers to having more than one disease at the same time. Unfortunately, there is no limit to how many conditions one can have. If you have lupus or RA, it’s possible for you to have symptoms of other conditions. Additionally, some people might experience the symptoms of both RA and lupus at the same time.
Diseases that overlap with lupus are as followed:
- Scleroderma
- Mixed connective tissue disease
- Sjogren’s
- Polymyositis-dermatomyositis
- Autoimmune thyroid
Diseases that overlap with Rheumatoid Arthritis are as followed:
- Sjogren’s
- Autoimmune thyroid
Differences in Treatment Options
Though there is no cure for lupus, there are treatment options that can help you manage your symptoms. If you have lupus, you might want to consider taking corticosteroids or other prescription drugs to treat inflammation and joint pain. Additionally, some people might need medication for skin rashes, kidney problems, or heart disease.
If you need to control the inflammation of your joints, patients with RA are able to get cortisone shots. The worst case scenario for people with RA is that they might need to get a knee or hip replacement down the road as the joint can become too deformed. For those struggling with RA, there are plenty of medications available that will help you control your symptoms and prevent further joint damage.
Living with Lupus or Rheumatoid Arthritis
Regardless of whether an individual is living with lupus or RA, it is crucial that they make a long-term plan with their doctor. Doing so allows you to prepare for the various ways to control your inflammation and pain as well as helping you minimize the complications of both diseases.
Lupus can cause long-term complications such as heart and kidney damage, and more often than not patients will suffer from abnormalities of the blood (inflammation of blood vessels and anemia). If you go too long without treatment, these complications can cause tissue damage. Furthermore, if rheumatoid arthritis is left untreated, it can cause complications such as permanent joint deformity.
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