Which Symptoms Are You Experiencing?
Rheumatic and autoimmune conditions can affect the joints, spine, skin, eyes, mouth, muscles, lungs and bones. Choose the card that most closely reflects what you are experiencing. Symptoms often overlap, so you do not need to fit perfectly into one group.
This section helps guide consultation and is not intended to provide a diagnosis.
For ongoing or recurring pain, swelling, warmth or stiffness in the hands, wrists, knees, ankles, feet or other joints - especially when stiffness is worse after rest.
Symptoms & patterns that may lead to evaluation
- Painful, swollen, warm or tender joints.
- Morning stiffness or stiffness after sitting or resting.
- Pain affecting the small joints of the hands, wrists or feet.
- Several joints becoming painful or swollen at the same time.
- Reduced movement or difficulty walking, gripping or completing daily tasks.
- Repeated episodes of sudden, severe redness and swelling, especially in the big toe, foot, ankle or knee.
- Joint symptoms occurring alongside psoriasis, a recent infection or inflammatory bowel disease.
Conditions that may be evaluated
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Psoriatic Arthritis
- Reactive Arthritis
- Enteropathic Arthritis
- Gout
For persistent lower-back or hip pain with morning stiffness, night pain or stiffness after rest that becomes easier as you move.
Symptoms & patterns that may lead to evaluation
- Long-standing lower-back or deep hip pain.
- Morning stiffness in the back, hips or pelvis.
- Pain or stiffness that improves with movement and feels worse after rest.
- Night or early-morning pain that interrupts sleep.
- Alternating pain from one side of the hips to the other.
- Reduced spinal flexibility or difficulty bending and turning.
- Back symptoms occurring with heel pain, eye inflammation, psoriasis or bowel inflammation.
Conditions that may be evaluated
- Axial Spondyloarthritis (axSpA)
- Ankylosing Spondylitis / Radiographic axSpA
- Non-radiographic Axial Spondyloarthritis
For persistent dry eyes or mouth, sun-sensitive rashes, mouth ulcers, fingers changing colour in the cold, skin tightening, unexplained dry cough or breathlessness, or symptoms affecting several parts of the body.
Symptoms & patterns that may lead to evaluation
- Dry, gritty or burning eyes, persistent mouth dryness or difficulty eating dry foods.
- Sun-sensitive rash, facial rash, other recurring skin changes or mouth and nose ulcers.
- Unexplained fatigue, feverish episodes, hair loss or joint pain occurring with systemic symptoms.
- Fingers or toes turning white, blue or red with cold exposure or emotional stress.
- Puffy fingers, skin tightening or thickening, reduced hand movement or fingertip sores.
- Persistent dry cough, unexplained breathlessness or reduced exercise tolerance, particularly when other autoimmune symptoms are present.
- Reflux, swallowing difficulty or a sensation of food sticking.
- Foamy urine, blood or protein in urine, swelling around the eyes or legs, or new blood-pressure concerns.
Conditions that may be evaluated
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
- Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
- Lupus Nephritis
- Sjögren's Syndrome
- Systemic Sclerosis / Scleroderma
- Autoimmune / Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (CTD-ILD)
For unexplained fever or weight loss, red-purple skin spots, painful ulcers, numbness or weakness, new headaches, sinus or lung symptoms, urine changes, or limb pain that may need specialist evaluation.
Symptoms & patterns that may lead to evaluation
- Unexplained fever, fatigue, weight loss or body aches with raised inflammatory markers.
- Red or purple skin spots, recurrent rashes, painful ulcers or non-healing skin lesions.
- Numbness, tingling, burning pain, focal weakness, foot drop or wrist drop.
- A new persistent headache, scalp tenderness, jaw pain while chewing or new visual symptoms.
- Repeated sinus symptoms, nose bleeding, ear symptoms, cough, breathlessness or coughing blood.
- Blood or protein in urine, swelling, reduced kidney function or new blood-pressure concerns.
- Arm or leg fatigue or pain with activity, weak pulses or unequal blood pressure between limbs.
- Repeated mouth or genital ulcers, eye inflammation or symptoms affecting several organs.
Conditions that may be evaluated
- Large Vessel Vasculitis - Giant Cell Arteritis and Takayasu Arteritis
- ANCA-associated Vasculitis - GPA, MPA and EGPA
- Medium Vessel Vasculitis - Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN)
- Small Vessel / Cutaneous Vasculitis
- IgA Vasculitis
- Cryoglobulinemic Vasculitis
- Urticarial Vasculitis
- Behcet's Disease
For progressive weakness when climbing stairs, getting up from a chair, lifting the arms, carrying objects or swallowing - especially with muscle pain, rash, raised muscle enzymes, dry cough or breathlessness.
Symptoms & patterns that may lead to evaluation
- Difficulty climbing stairs, walking uphill or getting up from a chair or the floor.
- Difficulty lifting the arms, combing hair, reaching overhead or carrying objects.
- Progressive, often symmetrical weakness affecting everyday activities.
- Muscle pain, tenderness, cramps or marked fatigue occurring with weakness.
- A new or unusual rash occurring with muscle weakness.
- Swallowing difficulty, choking, voice change or neck weakness when clinically relevant.
- Abnormal muscle enzyme reports or muscle test results.
- Dry cough, breathlessness or reduced exercise tolerance occurring alongside inflammatory muscle symptoms.
Conditions that may be evaluated
- Dermatomyositis
- Polymyositis
- Immune-Mediated Necrotizing Myopathy (IMNM)
For low bone density, fractures after minor injuries, loss of height, or knee, hip, hand or spine pain that is worse with activity and limits movement.
Symptoms & patterns that may lead to evaluation
- Low bone density or an abnormal bone-density scan.
- A fracture after a minor fall or injury, loss of height or new back pain after minimal strain.
- Bone-health concerns related to age, menopause, long-term steroid use or other risk factors.
- Knee, hip, hand, neck or back pain that becomes worse with activity or prolonged use.
- Joint crepitus, reduced range of movement or brief stiffness after rest.
- Difficulty walking, using stairs, gripping or completing daily activities because of joint pain.
- Pain and functional limitation related to degenerative joint changes.
Conditions that may be evaluated
- Osteoporosis
- Osteoarthritis
Not Sure Which Symptom Group Fits You?
Symptoms of rheumatic and autoimmune conditions often overlap. Dr. Ashish Baweja can evaluate the pattern of symptoms, examination findings and test results to help determine the appropriate next steps.
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Consult Dr. Ashish Baweja at the Institute of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Medanta – The Medicity, Gurugram.
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