Autoimmune Diseases Mimic Each Other

Autoimmune diseases seem to be on the rise.  If you don’t have an autoimmune disease, chances are you know at least one person that does. Many autoimmune diseases mimic each others symptoms.  This overlap of symptoms makes it quite challenging to diagnose, and often takes a long time before getting a proper diagnosis.  This is often frustrating for both the patient and the doctor. According to Benaroya Research Institute, it takes approximately 4.5 years to get diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.

 I can tell you from my own personal experience that it can take MUCH longer!  It took 18 years for my Sjögren’s diagnosis. For me, I’m seronegative which means that I don’t have the typical blood markers (autoantibodies) for a Sjögren’s diagnosis.  My symptoms also mimic lupus and therefore a lot of doctors just kept trying to prove that theory.

Read on for more information about a few of these common overlapping diseases and the symptoms that can present with them.

The Lupus Butterfly Rash

When you visit your doctor with a new onset of symptoms, they will typically begin with a health history of yourself and your family, and most likely will conduct a physical exam.  They begin a process of elimination to help narrow down the search for what is going on with your body.  There are a number of diseases that unfortunately have similar symptoms that can be difficult to distinguish between, sometimes resulting in an incorrect diagnosis. 

With Lupus, it is quite common to see a red butterfly-shaped rash on the face. This develops when the immune cells cause inflammation in the skin.  UV exposure can also cause this to flare up. 

Your doctor will most likely tell you that they need to run tests.  They will rule out certain diseases, and check for common blood markers of any suspected diseases or conditions.  Sometimes they will biopsy the rash.  All of these things are important because so many of the symptoms associated with Lupus, such as fatigue, joint pain, fever, and rashes are also symptoms of other diseases and conditions. This is an example of how autoimmune diseases mimic each other.

Lupus can be quite dangerous, it can affect vital organs and can cause kidney disease. It is very important to follow through with doctors and testing until you have a diagnosis.  A diagnosis is important to ensure proper management of the disease.

Scleroderma’s Collagen Overproduction

When doctors start investigating the possibility of lupus or another autoimmune disease, a common symptom they look for is damage to connective tissue, such as skin issues. With Scleroderma, an overproduction and accumulation of collagen in the body tissues due to an immune response causes the skin to harden and tighten. This is a rare but chronic condition.

Some symptoms that may overlap with other autoimmune conditions are Raynaud’s phenomenon, digestive problems, rash, hair loss, dry skin, and joint pain.

Sjogren’s Syndrome is More Than Dry Eyes and Mouth

The most commonly known symptoms of Sjögren’s Syndrome are dry eyes and dry mouth.  This is because the immune system targets the saliva and tear glands first.  Sjögren’s can affect and/or damage other important organs that create important fluids for the body.  These areas make up the endocrine system, which helps to create and regulate your hormones, as well as lubricate and clean parts of your body.

Sjögren’s symptoms can mimic many other autoimmune diseases.  Some of these symptoms include fatigue, joint pain, dryness, and brain fog.  This disease can affect any moisture-producing glands in the body, and therefore symptoms vary by patient.

Symptom Tracking

If you have symptoms that you feel are autoimmune related, book an appointment with your doctor to discuss your concerns.  It is also very important to keep track of your symptoms with details to be able to find connections later, since autoimmune diseases mimic each other it can help narrow it down.  For example, I would track what time of day my symptom started and what time it started to improve, what foods did I eat within 24 hours of my flare-up, are there multiple symptoms, and do they tend to always come together, what about exercise or environmental factors?  Doctors are very knowledgeable, but they don’t know everything, so it can be very beneficial to have this extra information.  Keep in mind doctors are also very busy and don’t have time to sift through pages of information.  I recommend keeping a journal and reporting any significant findings to your doctor.

Check out this Medical Planner in my printable shop! It has many pages to keep track of all things medical, including a symptoms tracker page.

* This post is for general informational and educational purposes only, please see our full DISCLAIMERS page for more information