Does lupus arthritis go hand in hand with lupus?

Not necessarily: Although arthritis is a common finding in lupus, not all patients with active lupus will have arthritis. If arthritis was an initial symptom of lupus then it will generally be present if lupus is active or flaring. Arthritis in lupus will most often have a distribution similar to rheumatoid arthritis and a patient may well be diagnosed with RA initially early in the disease.

Lupus: The joints are an unfortunate target of the ailment known as lupus, so the arthritis is simply another component.