Symptoms Guide

Symptoms of each condition, grouped by the part of the body most affected.

Symptoms by body system

This guide lists the symptoms described on each condition page, grouped by the part of the body most affected. Select a condition name to read the full explanation.

Many symptoms, such as fatigue, joint pain or a rash, appear in several conditions and in everyday illnesses. Having a symptom listed here does not mean you have that condition. Only a doctor can diagnose you.

When to get urgent help

Call 999 (UK) or your local emergency number, or go to A&E, if you have sudden loss of vision, signs of a stroke (face drooping, arm weakness or slurred speech), chest pain, or severe difficulty breathing.

For symptoms that worry you but are not an emergency, contact your GP or call NHS 111 (UK).

Musculoskeletal

Joints, bones and muscles.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

  • Tender, warm, swollen joints
  • Joint stiffness that is usually worse in the mornings and after inactivity
  • Fatigue, fever and loss of appetite
  • Issues affecting smaller joints first (fingers, toes)

Ankylosing Spondylitis

  • Pain and stiffness in the lower back and hips
  • Pain that worsens after inactivity and improves with movement
  • Neck pain and fatigue
  • Difficulty taking deep breaths if ribs are involved

Psoriatic Arthritis

  • Swollen fingers and toes (dactylitis)
  • Foot pain, especially at the heel or sole
  • Lower back pain
  • Nail changes (pitting or separation)

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Lupus)

  • Fatigue
  • Joint pain, stiffness and swelling
  • Butterfly-shaped rash on the face
  • Skin lesions that appear or worsen with sun exposure
  • Fingers turning white or blue when cold (Raynaud's phenomenon)

Sjögren’s Syndrome

  • Dry eyes (feeling like sand is in them)
  • Dry mouth (cottonmouth)
  • Joint pain, swelling and stiffness
  • Swollen salivary glands
  • Prolonged fatigue

Polymyositis

  • Muscle weakness (shoulders, hips, thighs)
  • Fatigue
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Pain in joints

Dermatomyositis

  • Skin rash (violet or red) on face, eyelids, knuckles
  • Progressive muscle weakness (hips, thighs, shoulders)
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Fatigue

Gastrointestinal

The digestive system, including the liver.

Celiac Disease

  • Diarrhea
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • Bloating and gas
  • Abdominal pain
  • Nausea and vomiting
  • Constipation

Crohn's Disease

  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Fatigue
  • Abdominal pain and cramping
  • Blood in your stool
  • Mouth sores
  • Reduced appetite and weight loss

Ulcerative Colitis

  • Diarrhea, often with blood or pus
  • Abdominal pain and cramping
  • Rectal pain
  • Rectal bleeding
  • Urgency to defecate
  • Inability to defecate despite urgency
  • Weight loss
  • Fatigue

Autoimmune Hepatitis

  • Fatigue
  • Abdominal discomfort
  • Joint pain
  • Itching (pruritus)
  • Yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes (jaundice)
  • Enlarged liver (hepatomegaly)
  • Abnormal blood vessels on the skin (spider angiomas)

Primary Biliary Cholangitis

  • Fatigue
  • Itchy skin
  • Dry eyes and mouth
  • Pain in the upper right abdomen
  • Swelling of the feet and ankles
  • Darkening of the skin (hyperpigmentation)

Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis

  • Fatigue
  • Itching
  • Jaundice
  • Abdominal pain
  • Fevers and chills

Autoimmune Gastritis

  • Anemia symptoms (fatigue, weakness, pale skin)
  • Numbness or tingling in hands and feet
  • Feeling full soon after starting to eat
  • Nausea and vomiting

Neurological

The brain, spinal cord and nerves.

Multiple Sclerosis

  • Numbness or weakness in one or more limbs
  • Electric-shock sensations that occur with certain neck movements
  • Tremor, lack of coordination or unsteady gait
  • Vision problems

Myasthenia Gravis

  • Drooping of one or both eyelids (ptosis)
  • Double vision (diplopia)
  • Impaired speaking (dysarthria)
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Weakness in arms, legs, neck and fingers

Guillain-Barré Syndrome

  • Prickling, pins and needles sensations in your fingers, toes, ankles or wrists
  • Weakness in your legs that spreads to your upper body
  • Unsteady walking or inability to walk
  • Difficulty with facial movements, including speaking, chewing or swallowing

Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP)

  • Tingling or numbness (beginning in toes and fingers)
  • Weakness of the arms and legs
  • Loss of deep tendon reflexes (areflexia)
  • Fatigue

Neuromyelitis Optica (NMO)

  • Pain in the eye
  • Vision loss
  • Weakness or numbness in the arms and legs
  • Bladder and bowel control problems
  • Uncontrollable vomiting and hiccups

Autoimmune Encephalitis

  • Memory deficits
  • Seizures
  • Psychosis or behavioral changes
  • Impaired speech
  • Balance issues

Dermatological

The skin, hair and nails.

Psoriasis

  • Red patches of skin covered with thick, silvery scales
  • Dry, cracked skin that may bleed or itch
  • Itching, burning or soreness
  • Thickened, pitted or ridged nails

Vitiligo

  • Patchy loss of skin color
  • Premature whitening or graying of the hair on your scalp, eyelashes, eyebrows or beard
  • Loss of color in the tissues that line the inside of the mouth and nose (mucous membranes)

Alopecia Areata

  • Small round patches of hair loss on the scalp
  • Exclamation mark hairs (hairs that get narrower at the bottom)
  • Pitting (tiny dents) in fingernails or toenails

Pemphigus Vulgaris

  • Painful blisters that start in the mouth or skin areas
  • Skin blisters that burst easily, leaving raw sores
  • Crusting and oozing of sores

Bullous Pemphigoid

  • Itchy skin (pruritus) which can be severe
  • Large, tense blisters that don't rupture easily
  • Reddish or hive-like rash before blisters appear

Cutaneous Lupus

  • Red, scaly rash (often in sun-exposed areas)
  • Coin-shaped (discoid) lesions
  • Hair loss (alopecia)
  • Sun sensitivity

Lichen Planus

  • Purplish, flat-topped bumps, most often on the inner forearm, wrist or ankle
  • Itching
  • Lacy white patches in the mouth
  • Hair loss or nail damage

Cardiovascular

The heart and blood vessels.

Giant Cell Arteritis

  • Persistent, severe head pain, usually in your temple area
  • Scalp tenderness
  • Jaw pain when you chew or open your mouth wide
  • Fever and fatigue
  • Double vision or sudden permanent loss of vision in one eye

Antiphospholipid Syndrome

  • Blood clots in legs (DVT) or lungs (PE)
  • Repeated miscarriages or stillbirths
  • Stroke
  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
  • Red rash with a lacy, net-like pattern (livedo reticularis)

Takayasu Arteritis

  • Weak or absent pulse in the arms
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Chest pain
  • High blood pressure
  • Fatigue

Polyarteritis Nodosa (PAN)

  • Fatigue and fever
  • Muscle aches and joint pain
  • Abdominal pain
  • Numbness or tingling in extremities
  • Skin sores or tender lumps

Vasculitis (General)

  • Fever
  • Headache
  • Fatigue
  • Weight loss
  • General aches and pains
  • Specifically depends on affected organ (e.g., spots on skin, shortness of breath)

Ocular

The eyes.

Uveitis

  • Eye redness
  • Eye pain
  • Light sensitivity
  • Blurred vision
  • Dark, floating spots in your field of vision (floaters)
  • Decreased vision

Optic Neuritis

  • Pain that worsens with eye movement
  • Temporary vision loss in one eye
  • Loss of color vision (colors appear washed out)
  • Flashing lights (photopsia)

Autoimmune Retinopathy

  • Night blindness
  • Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
  • Shimmering, dancing lights in vision (photopsias)
  • Loss of peripheral or central vision

Sjögren’s Syndrome (Ocular)

  • Gritty, burning, or stinging sensation in the eyes
  • Blurred vision
  • Redness
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Stringy mucous around the eyes

Ocular Cicatricial Pemphigoid

  • Red eye (conjunctivitis) that doesn't heal
  • Feeling of something in the eye
  • Tearing
  • Eyelashes turning inward
  • Symblepharon (eyelid sticking to the eyeball)