10 Lupus Symptoms In Women
Article Sources
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7. Abdominal Pain
Recall that lupus can affect almost any tissue in the body, which includes those of the gastrointestinal system. In addition, this disease can involve surrounding organs like the pancreas, bile duct, gallbladder, and liver. Hence, abdominal pain can be a symptom of lupus. However, not all gastrointestinal issues can be directly attributed to the activity of the disease; some can be related to other coexisting diseases or they can appear as side effects of lupus medication.
Many patients with SLE experience heartburn or burning pain in the lower chest, as a result of gastroesophageal reflux disease. Moreover, rare manifestations of SLE such as the inflammation of the peritoneum (the sac that surrounds the intestines), the pancreas (pancreatitis), the small bowel (lupus enteritis), or the liver can also result in abdominal pain. Finally, certain medications (i.e. NSAIDS) involved in lupus treatment can increase the risk of damaging the stomach and intestinal lining. Thus, during certain treatments, patients with lupus are at risk of developing bleeding ulcers in these tissues (peptic ulcers).
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