Common Conditions Concurrent with Lupus  

Many diseases overlap with lupus. That is, it’s common to be diagnosed with lupus and then a second connective tissue or autoimmune disease shortly after or vise versa. Common diseases that overlap with lupus include:

• Celiac disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Antiphospholipid syndrome
• Scleroderma
• Hashimoto thyroiditis
• Graves’ disease
• Myasthenia gravis
• Sjogren’s Syndrome
• Dermatomyositis
• Polymyositis
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Diabetes

These overlapping conditions can make diagnosis exceptionally difficult for the healthcare team. The patient may experience some symptoms typical of lupus and some symptoms that aren’t typical, making it challenging to determine which overlapping conditions are at work. Also noteworthy is the timing of overlapping diagnoses. For most patients, a second diagnosis isn’t far behind the first, but for some, overlapping conditions can appear as many as ten years apart.

Documenting your symptoms as they occur and staying in communication with your healthcare team can help you identify lupus and/or overlapping conditions as early as possible.