Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE)
A systemic autoimmune disease that can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, blood cells, and other organs, often with fatigue, rashes and joint pain.
Is this what you are experiencing?
Connective tissue diseases affect several systems at once, which is why they are so often missed. Dryness, sun-sensitive rashes, mouth ulcers, hair loss, fingers changing colour in the cold, unexplained fatigue and joint pain can each look minor alone — together they form a pattern a rheumatologist recognises.
What symptoms should prompt an assessment?
You do not need to have every symptom below — and having one does not mean you have a particular disease. These are the patterns that commonly lead to a rheumatology consultation:
- 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.
Which conditions does this cover?
Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus limited primarily to the skin, producing sun-sensitive rashes and other recurring skin changes.
Lupus Nephritis
Kidney inflammation caused by lupus, which may show as protein or blood in the urine, swelling, or rising blood pressure, and needs timely specialist care.
Sjögren's Syndrome
An autoimmune condition targeting moisture-producing glands, leading to persistently dry eyes and mouth, fatigue and joint pain.
Systemic Sclerosis / Scleroderma
A connective tissue disease causing skin tightening, colour changes of the fingers in the cold (Raynaud's), and in some cases lung, gut or kidney involvement.
Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (CTD-ILD)
Lung inflammation and scarring that can accompany autoimmune diseases, often noticed as a dry cough or breathlessness.
Read about Connective Tissue Disease-Associated Interstitial Lung Disease (CTD-ILD)
Raynaud's Phenomenon
Fingers or toes turning white, blue and then red on exposure to cold or stress, caused by spasm of the small blood vessels.
Antiphospholipid Syndrome
An autoimmune clotting disorder causing blood clots and pregnancy complications, often occurring alongside lupus.
How is it diagnosed and treated?
Dr. Ashish Baweja combines a detailed clinical assessment with targeted investigations — blood tests and inflammatory markers, imaging, and where relevant procedures such as joint aspiration, nail fold capillaroscopy or biopsy — to reach an accurate diagnosis. Treatment plans follow current international (EULAR/ACR) guidelines and are personalised to your condition, lifestyle and goals, with an emphasis on achieving long-term remission and protecting quality of life.
This page is general information to help guide a consultation. It is not a diagnosis.
Book your consultation
Consult Dr. Ashish Baweja at the Institute of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, Medanta – The Medicity, Gurugram.