If you have lupus, you’re probably already familiar with the unpredictable nature of symptom flare-ups.

Lupus is an autoimmune condition that often involves periods where symptoms improve, followed by flare-ups where symptoms become more active or severe. It might feel a little like an ongoing cycle.

In this article, we want to dig deeper into lupus flares, exploring what they are like, what can trigger them, and what you can do during an episode to help yourself feel in control.

Here’s the information you need to know.

What is lupus?

Lupus, also known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune condition that affects how the immune system functions.

When working as expected, the immune system is an important line of defense against harmful pathogens like bacteria and viruses. When it identifies something that’s potentially harmful, immune cells target, attack, and remove it.

In people with lupus, the immune system doesn’t just target foreign pathogens. It mistakenly attacks healthy tissues and organs, too. Over time, this causes systemic inflammation. Untreated, lupus can lead to significant organ damage and long-term health complications.

SLE is the most common form of lupus, but there are other types: cutaneous lupus (primarily affects the skin), drug-induced lupus, and neonatal lupus.

What is a lupus flare-up?

Many people with lupus find that their condition exists in two forms: active (in a flare-up) or inactive (in remission).

When a person is in remission, they may not experience any symptoms. If they do, symptoms are mild. Lupus remissions happen naturally, but can also be maintained and supported through medications and lifestyle adjustments.

During a lupus flare, disease activity increases, which can affect one or more parts of the body and cause symptoms to appear or worsen. Flares can vary in severity, and the type of symptoms you experience depends on which areas of the body are affected.

Even if you’ve been living with lupus for years, flare-ups can feel unpredictable. There is no definitive list of lupus triggers. However, the following triggers are thought to be common:

• Emotional stress
• Surgery
• Pregnancy
• Pain
• Illness or infection
• Exhaustion
• Sun exposure
• Injury

Important note: It is possible to experience a lupus flare without noticeable symptoms. Inflammation and disease activity may still be present, even if there are no obvious signs. This is why ongoing monitoring and following your treatment plan are essential for improving quality of life.

Symptoms of a lupus flare

During a flare-up, the immune system becomes more active, triggering inflammation that can harm tissues and organs and cause symptoms.

In some cases, symptoms can come on quickly and seemingly out of nowhere. Other times, you may notice them gradually worsening.

Some of the most commonly reported lupus flare symptoms include:

• Fatigue
• Joint pain, swelling, and stiffness, particularly in the morning
• Skin rashes, including a “butterfly rash” across the cheeks and nose or scaly rashes on other parts of the body
• Sensitivity to the sun
• Hair loss
• Fever
• Mouth sores
• Shortness of breath
• Headaches
• Brain fog, confusion, or memory problems
• Swollen glands
• Changes in finger or toe color in response to cold or stress (Raynaud’s phenomenon)
• Swelling (edema)

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What to do during a lupus flare

Even with treatment, lupus flare-ups can still happen suddenly and without warning. 

Here are some things you can do to help reduce the severity of a flare:

• Contact your doctor to see if you need to adjust any medications.
• Allow yourself to rest as much as possible.
• Take your medications as prescribed. Don’t skip doses.
• Try to reduce stress through meditation and deep breathing exercises.
• Avoid your known triggers (e.g., direct sunlight, smoking).
• Treat your body with kindness and patience.

Preventing lupus flare-ups

Living with lupus often involves making lifestyle adjustments to reduce your risk of flare-ups.

Avoiding sun exposure

Avoiding the sun can help reduce the risk of a flare-up, especially if you have cutaneous lupus.

Besides trying to avoid direct exposure to sunlight for prolonged periods, wear sunscreen and protective clothing.

Staying active

Lupus symptoms like joint pain and fatigue can make movement difficult, but you should try to keep doing gentle exercise.

Moving regularly and using your joints can help reduce stiffness and pain. Examples of exercises that are great for gentle joint mobility include:

• Yoga
• Tai chi
• Swimming
• Walking
• Biking

Reducing stress

Emotional stress is a common lupus flare trigger.

While removing all sources of stress from your life is impossible, finding ways to manage stress so it doesn’t get out of control can help prevent flare-ups. Examples include:

• Gentle exercise (such as walking or yoga)
• Breathing exercises
• Spending time outdoors
• Meditation
• Keeping a consistent sleep routine
• Setting boundaries around work or commitments

Tracking symptoms and triggers

Tracking how you feel day to day is a helpful tool for getting a better understanding of your flare patterns and potential triggers. Over time, this journal can help identify insights into your health, spot patterns in your symptoms and triggers, evaluate how you’re responding to treatments, and generally give you more control of your condition.

Stop guessing your triggers

Because lupus flares often seem to come from nowhere, it’s common for people to worry about when the next one will occur.

Managing lupus is all about understanding your body and how you experience the condition. The more information you have, the better able you are to adjust your lifestyle and treatment plan to ease the severity of flares or prevent them from occurring.

Using Human Health, track your symptoms and potential triggers to develop a comprehensive health map you can share with your doctor. Gain insights into your symptom severity, frequency, and possible triggers to help make living with lupus as easy as it can be.

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Frequently asked questions

How long do lupus flares last?

Lupus flares can last anywhere from a few days to several weeks or months at a time. The duration, severity, and types of symptoms you experience during a flare-up will be unique to you.

To better understand how lupus affects you, it’s a good idea to track your symptoms and potential triggers over time.

What does a lupus flare feel like?

A lupus flare-up feels different from person to person.

For some, it’s the sudden onset of symptoms like fatigue, joint and muscle pain, fever, or skin rashes, caused by a known or unknown trigger. For others, flare symptoms can appear gradually instead of all at once. Some people with lupus don’t experience any symptoms during a flare-up.

What helps during a lupus flare?

During a lupus flare-up, doing things to control inflammation and reduce symptom severity is the primary focus. For many people, this looks like adjusting medication doses (including receiving IV steroids when needed) and making lifestyle changes like avoiding sun exposure, resting, and reducing stress.

Disclaimer: Human Health is a health tracking platform and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The information in this guide is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical care. Always consult your doctor or healthcare provider with questions about your health.

Sources:

1. Lupus types, The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
2. What is a lupus flare? The Lupus Foundation of America
3. Systemic lupus erythematosus (lupus), The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
4. Lupus, Mayo Clinic
5. Lupus, Cleveland Clinic
6. What is a lupus flare? WebMD