Can Lupus be misdiagnosed as MS?

[jen673]

I was diagnosed with MS 2 yrs. ago because of 3 spinal lesions and many brain lesions.  I have parestheisa symptoms that have come and gone.  Both MRI's have stated they are consistent  with MS. I am wondering if I could have Lupus because I am having a flare of some sort - numb hands, hand and feet swelling, joint aches, and waves of nausea.  The swelling and joint aches just don't sound like MS.  I don't have alot of MS issues that many of you have like vision or balance.  Could I have some form of Lupus and not MS? Possibly both - which I pray I don't!  When I was diagnosed with MS I also had guttate psoriasis.  Looking back it could have been a rash from Lupus??  I am going to the Dr. and not sure how to addess my concerns.  Any advice or opinions?

Jen

[twopack]

Ren made a good observation and an excellent suggestion about the rheumatologist.  I went to a rheumy just about this time last year and he added a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis (possibly psoriatic) to my diagnosis of MS.  Both are inflammatory autoimmune diseases.  

Isn't it great that we are more likely to have both than for one to rule out the other?  And I'm still not convinced myself that I won't end up with a lupus diagnosis in the end.  So many of these auto-inflammatories are difficult to diagnosis (with no conclussive tests available) and are mimics of one other.

[Ricobord]

The nausea made me think of Lyme, but Rendean made an excellent point with arthritis. (Some people can get waves of nausea because of pain.)  I know someone with psoriatic arthritis and the medication they treat it with really helped ease the pain.  

This is from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001450/
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Psoriatic arthritis is a type of arthritis that often occurs with psoriasis of the skin.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Psoriasis is a common, chronic skin condition that causes red patches on the body. About 1 in 20 people with psoriasis will develop arthritis with the skin condition. In most cases, psoriasis comes before the arthritis.

The cause of psoriatic arthritis is not known, but genes may play a role. In general, people who have psoriasis have a higher rate of arthritis than the general population.

Symptoms

The arthritis may be mild and involve only a few joints, particularly those at the end of the fingers or toes. In some people the disease may be severe and affect many joints, including the spine. When the spine is affected, the symptoms are stiffness, burning, and pain, most often in the lower spine and sacrum.

People who also have arthritis usually have the skin and nail changes of psoriasis. Often, the skin gets worse at the same time as the arthritis.

[rendean]

Psorasis  can cause arthritis. I would call my rheumatologist or PCP asap and see what they can do to quell the symptoms. Few people know that psorasis can cause arthritis but that's not to say that lupus and MS can't occur together either.

Let us know what the docs say!

Wishing you the best and I hope you feel better.
Ren

[Ricobord]

I have heard of cases of Lupus that looked like MS at first, and then later developed more like Lupus.

I have to ask if you have been checked out for Lyme Disease?  I recently read a case study of a woman who developed a significant case of psoriasis that went away completely after she was cured of her long term Lyme infection.  Lyme can be a convincing mimic of both Lupus and MS, even causing brain lesions.  Between 30-50% of people with Lyme test false negative on antibody tests, although many doctors incorrectly think a negative result excludes it.  There is a specialty lab called IgeneX that finds more cases than most other labs. It is worth it to find out.  The symptom list in this doc might be helpful.  http://www.ilads.org/lyme_disease/B_guidelines_12_17_08.pdf

Sometimes autoimmune disorders do come in pairs or groups, so you'll definitely want to get checked out for Lupus and other rheumatic possibilities.