Kim Kardashian's Mystery Illness Was Finally Diagnosed After Doctors Feared She May Have Lupus

If you've been keeping up with Keeping Up with the Kardashians, you'll be aware that Kim Kardashian had a major health scare recently (opens in new tab). After consulting her doctor about her fatigue, headaches, and joint pain, she underwent blood testing—and the initial results suggested she could have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis. "You really do get in your head and think about the worst possible things that can happen," Kim said in last week's episode, in which the news brought her to tears. "So for the next few days it’s going to be really hell, living, wondering what I have, what’s going on and how to fix this."

Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, Kim said  (opens in new tab)her health struggles were a major blow. "I really had to get myself together because I do have kids and I do have a family that I just have to be positive and get it together for," she said. "No matter what's going on in your life, you can take that time to grieve for a second…and then figure out how to be positive about it because it's not going to change. There's no point in being depressed and staying in that headspace, but I felt it for a minute."

On Sunday's episode, however, Kim found out she didn't have lupus after all, as E! News reports (opens in new tab). Her physician, Dr. Daniel Wallace, sent her for an ultrasound with the rheumatologist Dr. Ami Ben-Artzi, pointing out that blood tests can frequently result in false positives. And the findings? "So, first of all, if you had any evidence for lupus, Dr. Ben-Artzi would have seen it. And you do not have lupus and rheumatoid arthritis," Dr. Wallace told Kim. "You probably have psoriatic arthritis, because psoriasis comes and goes and there is nothing there right now."

According to Healthline, psoriatic arthritis (opens in new tab), as the name suggests, is a type of arthritis that affects people with psoriasis, which Kim was previously diagnosed with. Treatment typically comes in the form of medication. And for Kim, the news was an enormous relief. "The pain is going to come and go sometimes, but I can manage it," she said. "This isn’t going to stop me."

For more stories like this, including celebrity news, beauty and fashion advice, savvy political commentary, and fascinating features, sign up for the Marie Claire newsletter.

subscribe here (opens in new tab)