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Lupus: the symptoms, getting a diagnosis, treatment, and living with it
For anyone with symptoms that come and go, such as painful joints, fevers, tiredness and rashes, anyone told a test came back positive, anyone just told they have lupus, and the people beside them. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS, part of the NIH) says systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect many parts of the body, that no single test diagnoses it, and that with treatment many people with lupus can manage the disease. This page passes on, by name, what NIAMS says: the symptoms and the organs lupus can affect, who gets it and what may set it off, how it is diagnosed and who treats it, the kinds of medicine, and what you can do: flares, the sun, work, and pregnancy. It puts first our own rule for when it cannot wait, builds the words to say to a provider, and prints a card for the visit.
A word with a dotted line under it, like this, opens its official definition, quoted from a U.S. government glossary.
Right now
- Chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, a seizure, or sudden weakness, numbness, confusion or trouble speaking: call 911 (ours). Do not drive yourself. NIAMS says lupus can inflame the lining of the heart and lungs and the blood vessels, and can cause blood clots and seizures. See our pages on a heart attack, a stroke and a seizure.
- A fever while you take a medicine that calms the immune system, pain when you breathe deeply or lie down, or one leg suddenly swollen, painful or warm: see a doctor the same day (ours).
- Thinking about suicide: call or text 988, any time.
More help
- Related: Arthritis · Fibromyalgia · Kidney disease · Osteoporosis · Depression · Pain, bones and joints: find the right page.
- Day to day: Symptom diary · Energy budget · My medicines list.
- Care and costs: When you need a doctor and can’t pay · When medicine costs too much · Get ready for your appointment.
- In a crisis: Help right now (988, 911). All our free tools.
Pain, a bone or a joint, and not sure this is the right page? The pages on this site for back pain, arthritis, pain that lasts, headaches, broken bones and sickle cell, on one list.
Other guides on this site that go with this page
Free to read. We chose these ourselves; no professional did. Each guide was written with AI and has not been reviewed by a professional. They are general information, not advice.
- Lupus nephritis: when lupus reaches the kidneys, the signs, the tests, the biopsy, and the treatment: lupus nephritis, kidney disease caused by lupus: what it is, who gets it, the signs (foamy urine, swelling, high blood pressure), what it can lead to, the urine and blood tests, the kidney biopsy, and the medicines, blood pressure and food.
- Peyronie’s disease (a curved penis): the signs, the causes, and the treatment: Peyronie’s disease (a curved penis): what it is and the two phases, the signs and how common it is, the causes and who is more likely to get it, the visit and the exam, the treatment choices, and the complications.
- Renal tubular acidosis (RTA): when the kidneys do not remove acid, the three types, the tests, and the treatment: renal tubular acidosis (RTA), when the kidneys do not remove acid from the blood as they should: the three types, who gets it, the signs (low or high potassium) and the complications, the causes type by type, the blood and urine tests, and the treatment, prevention and food.
This page and its wording were written with AI (Claude) for Scarlet Beast (our AI policy). No doctor or nurse has reviewed it. The facts were read on October 15, 2026 on NIAMS’s Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus) page, both parts: Overview, Symptoms, & Causes and Diagnosis, Treatment, & Steps to Take (NIH, last reviewed October 2022). Ours: calling 911 for chest pain or pressure, trouble breathing, a seizure, or sudden weakness, numbness, confusion or trouble speaking; seeing a doctor the same day for a fever on a medicine that calms the immune system, pain when breathing deeply or lying down, or one leg suddenly swollen, painful or warm; calling your doctor soon for new swelling in the legs or around the eyes, a new rash, or a flare that is getting worse; calling or texting 988 for thoughts of suicide; that lupus does not spread from person to person; not stopping or changing a medicine on your own; asking a pharmacist before adding anything; asking what a test or medicine would change and what it costs; and the order of the steps. What we left out: any brand or dose, any diet, supplement or remedy, and NIAMS’s research pages. This page saves nothing and loads no trackers.