Symptoms

Each person with lupus may have different symptoms that can range from mild to severe and these symptoms may come and go over time. Lupus never affects two people the same way.

People with lupus may have many different symptoms affecting many parts of the body or only one part of the body is affected. Some symptoms of lupus can be joint and muscle pain, extreme fatigue, skin rashes, rash or redness on the face (known as “butterfly rash”), fevers, hair loss, pleurisy, loss of appetite, mouth or nose sores and sensitivity of the fingers and/or toes to the cold (Raynaud’s phenomenon). Often, symptoms develop so slowly that no pattern emerges, or they come and go. Sometimes, new symptoms occur after an initial diagnosis. Lupus never affects two people the same way.