Lupus Symptoms

Lupus affects people very differently.  In some people, symptoms may come on suddenly or build slowly over time. Symptoms may be mild or severe and depend largely on which systems of the body are affected and to what degree. Most people with lupus have a mild form characterized by “flares,” where the symptoms temporarily worsen and then improve or even disappear completely for a period of time. Other common symptoms include fatigue, fever, pain and stiffness in the joints, a butterfly-shaped rash on the face, skin lesions that typically worsen if you go in the sun, Raynaud’s phenomenon (in which the fingers and/or toes turn white or blue when exposed to cold or during times of stress), headaches, memory loss and shortness of breath.