the hair on the other parts of your body, such as the eyebrows and eyelashes, starting to thin as well.
3. Fatigue
Mild to extreme fatigue is another common characteristic of lupus, which makes it difficult for patients to exercise and perform daily activities.
If you’re feeling even more tired than usual, this could be a strong indicator that a flare is about to occur. It’s also not uncommon for people with lupus to experience unexplained fevers, which tend to be somewhere between 98.5 and 101 degrees.
4. Kidney problems
Some lupus patients develop a kidney inflammation called nephritis, which makes it difficult for your kidneys to flush out toxins and waste from your blood.
If you experience swelling in your fingers, lower legs, ankles, and feet, high blood pressure, blood and/or a foamy appearance in your urine, dark urine, and/or weight gain, then this could be a sign that there’s a serious problem going on with your kidneys.
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5. Chest pain
Lupus can cause inflammation in your lungs, heart, or in the membrane surrounding the heart, which can cause you to experience chest pain, especially when taking deep breaths.
6. Butterfly rash
If you have a butterfly-shaped rash across your cheeks and the bridge of your nose, you’re not alone.
Approximately 30 percent of lupus patients experience this type of rash. This could be a sign of rosacea and other skin conditions.
This symptom alone is not enough to make a diagnosis. But it’s something to be mindful of.
7. Light sensitivity
A large portion of lupus patients tend to be sensitive to sunlight, which can trigger body sores, achy joints, and extreme fatigue, but similar to the butterfly rash, this symptom can be tricky since many people are sensitive to the sunlight.
8. Other symptoms
Other symptoms of lupus include anemia, seizures, dizziness, thyroid problems, gastrointestinal problems, dry mouth, and dry eyes, and depression.
BDO’s Black History of Health series is designed to show the correlation between the health of historical Black figures and Black Americans today. Many of the health disparities we currently experience have been in our community for centuries. This series is meant to bring these conditions to the forefront and provide blacks with preventative and management steps to reduce these disparities and improve the overall health of the Black American community. It’s time to change the narrative.