Is it fibromyalgia or lupus?

Lupus and Fibromyalgia: Similar Symptoms, Different Diseases



By Amy Tudor


Experts say that every year, thousands of fibromyalgia sufferers are diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disorder. At the same time, many patients who actually have lupus are told they have fibromyalgia.



Are the two diseases so much alike? Not really. For starters, lupus is an autoimmune disease, and fibromyalgia is not. Fibromyalgia doesn't cause the system-wide inflammation that lupus does, inflammation that can cause a number of physical problems. And fibromyalgia doesn't affect organs, and lupus does. But it's easier to understand how the conditions can be confused when you look at their symptoms.



What is lupus?

Though no two lupus patients will have the same symptoms, there are some problems that are common to most patients. Lupus patients generally suffer from the following symptoms:

• extreme fatigue
• joint pain
• muscle aches
• sensitivity to light
• skin problems

These symptoms often come and go, peaking during periods known as "flare-ups." Lupus patients also often have a condition known as Raynaud's Syndrome, which causes occasional attacks (called vasospastic attacks) during which the blood vessels in the fingers and toes constrict.



What is fibromyalgia?

Now let's look at the symptoms of fibromyalgia. The Web site Fibromyalgia Symptoms states that, as with lupus, symptoms of the condition can vary, but the most common ones are:

• fatigue
• "flare-ups" of symptoms that can come and go
• joint problems
• morning stiffness
• sensitivity to light or odors
• skin problems
• vasospastic attacks
• widespread pain

From these lists, you can see how a patient with these symptoms could be diagnosed with either lupus or fibromyalgia. And experts say there are other reasons these conditions may be misdiagnosed. For example, Dr. Robert Bennett reports that many lupus patients actually do suffer from fibromyalgia. Other experts say the percentage of lupus patients who also have fibromyalgia may be as high as 30 percent, though it's extremely rare for fibromyalgia patients to later develop lupus.



Also, Bennett says that because so little is known about fibromyalgia, the condition is not a popular diagnosis with many doctors. Therefore, physicians may diagnosis patients with lupus, a disease they're more comfortable with and for which there are "tried-and-true" treatments.



This is why it's so important that both lupus and fibromyalgia patients make sure their health care providers (typically rheumatologists) diagnosis them correctly. Because lupus requires certain medications--such as anti-malarial and immune-suppressant drugs--to control its effects on the body, getting the right diagnosis and medications is vital. And many fibromyalgia sufferers who have been diagnosed with lupus have been given treatments that give them little relief and could end up making their condition worse.



If you're worried about whether you've gotten the right diagnosis, talk to your doctor about your concerns. It's the best, first step in getting the most effective treatment--and relief--from the common symptoms of these very different diseases.



Amy Tudor is an editor at MedTrackAlert.