Symptom
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Lupus
Joint pain, stiffness, and swelling
Yes
Yes
Joint damage and deformity
Yes
No
Fatigue
Yes
Yes
Brain fog
Yes
Yes
Painful or dry eyes
Sometimes
Yes
Rashes
Rarely
Yes, including a butterfly-shaped facial rash
Mouth sores
No
Yes
Lung symptoms
Chest pain and shortness of breath (sometimes)
Chest pain and shortness of breath
Kidney symptoms
No
Kidney inflammation, causing elevated blood pressure, bloody urine, and swelling
Brain-related symptoms
No
Headache, seizures
Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus have differences in the likelihood of non-joint symptoms, symptom severity, diagnosis, and treatment options.
Lupus Affects Other Organs
Rheumatoid arthritis primarily attacks your joints and causes general symptoms like fatigue. In only about 8-40% of cases, it may affect other parts of your body, such as your eyes or lungs.
Lupus is a disease that can affect every organ system in your body—your skin, muscles, bones, blood, nervous system, gastrointestinal system, and more. For example, about 50% of people with lupus develop kidney disease, called lupus nephritis, which can sometimes lead to kidney failure.
Rheumatoid Arthritis Tends To Cause Worse Joint Symptoms
Joint pain from rheumatoid arthritis tends to be more enduring and intense compared to joint pain from lupus. You are more likely to experience long-term, irreversible joint damage with rheumatoid arthritis.
Diagnosing Rheumatoid Arthritis May Be Simpler
In rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, the body may make abnormal antibodies against part of your own body. Blood tests for these antibodies can help with diagnosis.
The majority of people with rheumatoid arthritis are positive for an antibody called rheumatoid factor (RF) or another type called ACPA. Testing for antibodies, along with other tests, can help doctors identify the disease.
Other blood tests, like those for anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), tend to be more helpful in lupus, although they may also test positive in other autoimmune conditions. Lupus may be more challenging to diagnose.
Treatment and Intensity May Vary
Some treatments for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus overlap, like the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Advil for pain. Both also typically require long-term treatments with medications to tamp down the immune system to improve symptoms.
However, people with lupus are more likely to need more intense kinds of medications that suppress the immune system due to more serious disease flares, like those affecting the brain or kidneys.
Although different in important ways, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus share many similarities.
Both Are Autoimmune Connective Tissue Diseases
Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are both in a group of autoimmune diseases that affect connective tissue, or tissue that supports your other organs. Other conditions in this group include Sjogren’s syndrome, scleroderma, and polymyositis. These conditions may share some overlapping causes, treatments, and potential complications.
They Tend To Affect Similar Groups of People
Both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus affect similar people. Risk factors for either condition include:
- Female sex
- Smoking
- Having extra body weight
Both Can Affect Your Physical, Emotional, and Mental Well-Being
Both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus can affect your ability to perform everyday activities, which can lower your quality of life. Depression and anxiety are more common in people who have these conditions than in those who don’t. It’s important that treatment addresses your whole person and your overall health.
It’s rare but possible to have rheumatoid arthritis and lupus at the same time.
It’s also possible to have symptoms and test results that make it difficult to distinguish between them. For example, you might have more severe joint symptoms that are more common in rheumatoid arthritis, but also mouth sores and a butterfly skin rash. You might have positive RF antibodies but also antibodies more commonly found in lupus.
When that happens, it’s sometimes called “rhupus.”
You might think of yourself as having both rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and your medical chart may indicate that. You or your healthcare providers may also think of it as having one disease (rhupus) that is in between the two.
If you have symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis or lupus, make an appointment to see a primary care provider. A primary care provider can do an initial assessment and potentially prescribe helpful medication.
They may also refer you to a rheumatologist, a doctor who specializes in diagnosing and treating conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Rheumatoid arthritis and lupus are autoimmune diseases that can cause similar symptoms of joint pain and fatigue. However, people with lupus are much more likely to have symptoms and complications in other parts of their body, like their kidneys. A rheumatologist can help diagnose and treat either condition.
