Joint Changes
About 95% of patients with lupus will experience joint involvement (joint-related symptoms) at some point in their life. The most common joint manifestations are arthralgia (pain in the joint [6] without inflammatory signs) and arthritis (inflammation of the joints) and are often present in the initial phases of lupus.
Lupus arthritis [7] has some specific features:
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It manifests as polyarthritis: Lupus arthritis usually affects more than one joint in the body (4 and above) at the same time.
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It is symmetrical arthritis: it usually affects, the elbows, both knees, ankle joints, and other joints in the body at the same time.
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It is migratory: The inflammation of a specific joint in lupus arthritis can disappear in about 24 hours of onset and appear in another joint.
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It often does not lead to severe deformities or prolonged morning stiffness, as in rheumatoid arthritis.
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The pain is disproportionate to the physical appearance of the joints.