Reactive Arthritis is sometimes misdiagnosed as Lupus

It has been reported that some patients have been misdiagnosed with Lupus, when in fact the correct diagnosis in their specific case was Reactive Arthritis.

Reactive Arthritis or Reiter’s Syndrome is arthritis that primarily affects young adult males and causes painful inflammation and stiffness in the joints, eyes, urethra and skin. Symtoms include mouth ulcers, sore eyes, keratoderma blennorrhagica (scaly patches of skin on the palms, soles, torso and scalp), back pain, and pain from inflammation of ligaments and tendons. There is a lot of overlap between reactive arthritis and lyme disease, lupus, fibromyalgia, osteoarthritis, scleroderma, gout, bursitis, sarcoidosis and vasculitis. This can easily lead to misdiagnosis.

Always consult your doctor or health professional, and do not self diagnose.

Symptoms can include:

Back pain from sacroiliac joint involvement, enthesitis, ulcers in mouth, inflammation in eye, keratoderma blennorrhagica

Symptoms are a guideline only and may apply to either the diagnosis or the reported misdiagnosis, or both. Consult your specialist for further information.

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