Rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are chronic inflammatory diseases in which the body's immune system produces auto-antibodies against the tissues and organs. The inflammation caused by lupus affects many different body organs including the joints, kidney, heart and lung while rheumatoid arthritis typically affects the lining of the small joints in the hands and feet. Since lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are both inflammatory diseases, symptoms such as fatigue and weakness as well as joint stiffness, pain and swelling appear early in the disease process.
Joint Stiffness and Swelling
Rheumatoid arthritis is progressive disease that begins slowly, taking weeks to months to develop. According to the Johns Hopkins Arthritis Center, morning stiffness of the joints or stiffness of the joints after sitting for a prolonged period of time is an early symptom of rheumatoid arthritis. The morning stiffness might last one hour to several hours and the period of duration is an indicator of the inflammatory activity of the disease. Symmetric swelling of the joints is also an early indicator of rheumatoid arthritis. The joints mostly affected by rheumatoid arthritis are the elbows, knees, ankles and shoulders.
Lupus is also a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the joints causing stiffness and swelling. Systemic lupus erythematosus causes stiffness and swelling of the joints which typically last for more than 45 minutes.
Joint Pain and Tenderness
Rheumatoid arthritis affects the smaller joints first, particularly the joints in the wrists, hands, feets and ankles notes the MayoClinic.com. The inflammation of these small joints occur symmetrically meaning that it affects the joints on both sides of the body. The stiffness and swelling caused by RA is frequently accompanied by joint pain and joint tenderness. The inflammatory activity of the diseases alternates between periods of increased disease activity and periods of remission in which the tenderness and pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis subsides or disappears completely.
Pain and tender joints are also early symptoms of lupus. According to the Cure4Lupus.org, joint pain is an extremely common symptom in lupus, affecting 90 percent of all Lupus patients.
Fatigue and Weakness
Rheumatoid arthritis is a systemic, inflammatory disease that causes fatigue and weakness in most patients. The inflammatory auto-immune antibodies produced against the body's own tissues and organ systems keeps the body in a state of constant battle thereby leading to fatigue and weakness. According to the Arthritis Foundation, fatigue and weakness in addition to joint damage is the most common symptoms experienced in the early stages of rheumatoid arthritis.
Furthermore, the medications prescribed for the treatment of RA might also be a causative agent in the generalized feeling of fatigue and weakness experienced in patients with RA. Chronic fatigue and tiredness is also an early symptom of Lupus, a chronic inflammatory disease, notes the Lupus Foundation of America.
