Reviewed by: HU Medical Review Board | Last reviewed: January 2020
Stiff, painful, swollen joints are some of the most common symptoms of lupus. Sometimes the inflammation lasts long enough or is severe enough to damage the joints. This is called lupus arthritis.
More than 95 percent of people with lupus experience joint pain or arthritis at some point. About half of people with lupus said joint pain was the first symptom they noticed. People with lupus often feel joint pain long before swelling or damage becomes noticeable.1-3
How does lupus cause joint damage?
Lupus causes inflammation that can damage the bones and tissues of the joints. Eventually, this inflammation may weaken the cartilage and bone of the joints. When the damage progresses to this stage it is called lupus arthritis.
However, arthritis may also be caused by obesity, sports injury, and other autoimmune diseases.
People with lupus sometimes also develop carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome causes hand weakness, and tingling, numbness and pain in the fingers, hands, and wrists. It is caused by inflammation or pressure on the central nerve in the wrist.
People with lupus are more likely to develop severe joint damage if they also have:
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Positive anti-Ro antibodies
- High levels of C-reactive protein
- Positive rheumatoid factor3
Common sites of joint damage in people with lupus
The most common places where joint damage develops in people with lupus are:
With lupus, joints on both sides of the body tend to swell and hurt. This is called mirroring. Several joints may develop lupus arthritis. A related symptom of lupus, muscle and tendon pain, may also cause joint pain.1-3
Lupus arthritis tends to be less disabling and damaging than rheumatoid arthritis. Less than 10 percent of people with lupus arthritis will develop serious deformities of the hands and feet.1
What are the symptoms of lupus arthritis?
The symptoms of arthritis caused by lupus include:
- Stiffness, especially after waking
- Muscle weakness at the joint
These symptoms usually appear in 5 or more joints. The joint pain caused by lupus tends to be worse in the morning and gets better as the day passes.1-2
How is lupus arthritis diagnosed?
An x-ray of the painful joints will tell your doctor whether lupus inflammation has damaged your joints. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance (MRI) are used less often to diagnose lupus arthritis. However, these tests seem to be more accurate in diagnosing people in the early stages of arthritis.4
Sometimes, your doctor may drain fluid from a swollen joint and have that fluid tested for signs of infection or antibodies.3
How is lupus arthritis treated?
Treatments for mild joint damage include:
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as naproxen or ibuprofen, to relieve pain and reduce inflammation
- Warm showers in the morning to get fluid in the joints moving and to reduce stiffness
- Exercise to reduce stiffness
- Heat or cool packs
- Antimalarial medicines to reduce inflammation
- Splints to correct finger or toe deformities1-3
Treatments for serious joint damage include the same options as mild arthritis, plus:
- Certain immunosuppressants and steroids to reduce inflammation
- Drainage if fluid builds up in a joint
- Joint replacement surgery or tendon surgery1-3
Joint damage can be painful and make some activities more difficult. However, only about 5 percent of people with lupus develop a severe joint problem called Jaccoud’s arthropathy. This condition can change the shape of the joints so that they become overly flexible.5
HU Medical Review Board (HU Medical Review Board) - Januari 2020 - Maumbile magumu, yenye maumivu, na kuvu ni baadhi ya dalili za kawaida za ugonjwa wa lupus. Nyakati nyingine uvimbe huo huendelea kwa muda mrefu au ni mkali sana hivi kwamba huweza kuharibu viungo. Hii inaitwa ugonjwa wa arthritis wa lupus. Zaidi ya asilimia 95 ya watu walio na ugonjwa wa lupus hupata maumivu ya viungo au ugonjwa wa viungo wakati fulani. Karibu nusu ya watu walio na ugonjwa wa lupus walisema kwamba maumivu ya viungo yalikuwa dalili ya kwanza waliyoona. Watu wenye ugonjwa wa lupus mara nyingi huhisi maumivu ya viungo muda mrefu kabla ya uvimbe au uharibifu kuonekana. Lupus husababisha uvimbe ambao waweza kuharibu mifupa na tishu za viungo. Hatimaye, uvimbe huo waweza kudhoofisha mfupa na mfupa wa viungo. Uharibifu huo unapofikia hatua hii huitwa ugonjwa wa arthritis wa lupus. Hata hivyo, ugonjwa wa viungo waweza pia kusababishwa na kunenepa kupita kiasi, majeraha ya michezo, na magonjwa mengine ya kinga ya mwili. Nyakati nyingine watu walio na ugonjwa wa lupus pia hupata ugonjwa wa carpal tunnel syndrome. Ugonjwa wa Carpal Tunnel husababisha udhaifu wa mkono, na uchungu, kutokuwa na hisia na maumivu katika vidole, mikono, na vifundo vya mikono. Huo husababishwa na uvimbe au shinikizo kwenye neva ya katikati ya mkono. Watu wenye ugonjwa wa lupus wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kupata uharibifu mkubwa wa viungo ikiwa pia wana: - ugonjwa wa Sjogren - antibodies ya anti-RH + viwango vya juu vya protini ya C-reactive + sababu ya rheumatoid + 3 maeneo ya kawaida ya uharibifu wa viungo kwa watu wenye ugonjwa wa lupus - maeneo ya kawaida ambapo uharibifu wa viungo hutokea kwa watu wenye ugonjwa wa lupus ni: Hii inaitwa kuiga. Maungo kadhaa yaweza kupatwa na ugonjwa wa arthritis wa lupus. Lupus pia huathiri misuli na misuli ya mwili, na inaweza kusababisha maumivu ya viungo, na kwa kawaida ugonjwa wa arthritis huathiri sana misuli ya mwili kuliko ugonjwa wa rheumatoid arthritis. Asilimia 10 ya watu walio na ugonjwa wa lupus wana matatizo makubwa ya mikono na miguu. Dalili za ugonjwa wa arthritis unaosababishwa na lupus ni pamoja na: - Stiffness, hasa baada ya kuamka - Muscle udhaifu katika pamoja Dalili hizi kwa kawaida kuonekana katika viungo 5 au zaidi. Maumivu ya pamoja yanayosababishwa na lupus huwa mabaya zaidi asubuhi na hupungua kadiri siku inavyoendelea. X-ray ya viungo vya maumivu itaambia daktari wako kama uvimbe wa lupus umeharibu viungo vyako. Uchunguzi wa ultrasound na MRI hutumiwa mara chache zaidi kugundua ugonjwa wa arthritis. Kwa mfano, katika hatua za mwanzo za ugonjwa wa arthritis, daktari anaweza kuchukua maji kutoka kwa viungo vilivyotiwa uvimbe na kugundua kama kuna dalili za maambukizo au viini vya kupambana na ugonjwa huo. Matibabu ya madhara ya viungo ya kawaida ni pamoja na: - Dawa zisizo za steroid (NSAIDs) kama vile naproxen au ibuprofen, kupunguza maumivu na kupunguza uvimbe - Kuoga joto asubuhi ili kupata maji katika viungo na kupunguza ugumu - Mazoezi ya kupunguza ugumu - Pakiti za joto au baridi - Dawa za malaria kupunguza uvimbe - Splints kurekebisha deformities ya vidole vya miguu au miguu - Matibabu ya madhara makubwa ya viungo ni pamoja na chaguzi sawa na arthritis ya upole, pamoja na - Dawa fulani za kuzuia kinga na steroids kupunguza uvimbe. Hata hivyo, ni asilimia 5 tu ya watu walio na ugonjwa huo wana tatizo kubwa la viungo linaloitwa Jacquard's arthropathy. Hali hii inaweza kubadilisha umbo la viungo hivi kwamba vinakuwa rahisi kupita kiasi.5