Extreme Fatigue
One of the most common symptoms among lupus patients is fatigue, with some having it as their main symptom. Fatigue can be debilitating, to the point that it can force them to stop working. It is an uncommon or extreme whole-body tiredness that is unrelated to activity, which means rest doesn’t address it, like it does when you are simply tired.
It’s not clear why extreme fatigue occurs with lupus, but factors like disease activity, physical fitness, and even the medications taken appear to be related to the experience of fatigue. As lupus also affects the thyroid gland, which essentially regulates metabolism and the ability of the body to produce energy, it will need to be ruled out as the cause prior to exploring other factors like depression or anxiety.
