Related conditions
Complex initial diagnosis.
Lupus can cause a wide range of symptoms that are often non-specific and may overlap with other conditions.
These include, among others, skin rashes, joint pain, fatigue, fever, chest pain, hair loss and kidney problems. This variety of symptoms can make it difficult to distinguish the disease from other conditions.
Lupus can resemble other autoimmune diseases. Examples include rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome or fibromyalgia. The similarity of symptoms can lead to confusion and make diagnosis more difficult.
Systemic lupus erythematosus belongs to the connective tissue diseases. Within this group of connective tissue disorders, confusion can occur at first. However, symptoms can also overlap. Sometimes two diagnoses from this disease group are made. One example is the co-occurrence of lupus and Sjögren’s syndrome.
Connective tissue diseases compared with vasculitis and other conditions
Lupus belongs to the group of connective tissue diseases. This is a disorder of the connective tissue.
Connective tissue diseases and vasculitides are inflammatory diseases of the immune system. However, they affect different areas.
Connective tissue diseases mainly affect the connective tissue, including the joints, muscles and blood vessels. Vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessel walls. This inflammation can impair blood flow.
Connective tissue diseases and collagenoses besides systemic lupus erythematosus:
- Sjögren’s syndrome
- Systemic sclerosis
- Polymyositis
- Dermatomyositis
- Mixed connective tissue disease (Sharp syndrome)
- Antiphospholipid syndrome
Vasculitis:
- Behçet’s disease
- Cutaneous vasculitis
- Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Churg–Strauss syndrome)
- Giant cell arteritis
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (Wegener’s granulomatosis)
- Immunoglobulin A‑associated vasculitis
- Microscopic polyangiitis
- Polyarteritis nodosa
- Takayasu arteritis
Other conditions that resemble connective tissue diseases and vasculitides:
Still’s disease
An autoinflammatory disease, …
… that belongs to the rheumatic diseases. Main feature: fever episodes, joint pain, possibly skin rash.
Ehlers–Danlos syndrome
A hereditary disease, …
… that affects connective tissue. Main feature: usually hypermobile joints (hypermobility).
SAPHO syndrome
an inflammatory disease, …
… that affects the bones, joints and skin. The main symptoms are bone pain, mainly affecting the sternum and collarbone. Other main symptoms are acne or pustules on the hands and feet.
