| Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) |
| This page was written by Shelley Ensz, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. |
|
|
|
| Treatments for Lupus |
|
| Overview |
| Lupus Treatment Currently, there is no cure for lupus. But treatments can ease symptoms and reduce complications. Mayo Clinic |
| How is systemic lupus treated? There is no permanent cure for systemic lupus. The goal of treatment is to relieve symptoms and protect organs by decreasing inflammation and/or the level of autoimmune activity in the body. Many patients with mild symptoms may need no treatment or only intermittent courses of antiinflammatory medications. MedicineNet |
| Influence of race/ethnicity on response to lupus nephritis (LN) treatment: the Aspreva Lupus Management Study (ALMS) study. Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF) and intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVC) have similar efficacy overall to short-term induction therapy for LN. However, race, ethnicity and geographical region may affect treatment response; more Black and Hispanic patients responded to MMF than IVC. D. Isenberg. Rheumatology Advance Access. November 20 2009. |
| New cell-based targets for treating autoimmune inflammatory diseases. Studies uncover platelet-regulating gene mutation involved in lupus nephritis and novel adhesion molecule implicated in rheumatoid arthritis. EurekAlert! 08/31/06. (Also see: Rheumatoid Arthritis) |
| Ace Inhibitors |
| Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE) delay the occurrence of renal involvement and are associated with a decreased risk of disease activity in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)—results from LUMINA (LIX): a multiethnic US cohort. ACE inhibitor use delays the development of renal involvement and associates with a decreased risk of disease activity in SLE. S. Durán-Barragán. Rheumatology Advance Access. May 29, 2008. |
| Alternative Therapies |
| Fish Oil May Be Good Supplemental Treatment For Lupus. Study Suggests. At the end of the study, participants who had been taking omega-3 fish oil showed significant improvement in all areas of measurement, including improved blood vessel function and a reduction in cell damaging molecules—resulting in potential cardiovascular benefits. (Science Daily) American College of Rheumatology (2007, November 11). (Also see: Alternative Therapies) |
| Anti-Malarials (Plaquenil, Hydroxychloroquine) |
| Clinical efficacy and side effects of antimalarials in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE): a systematic review. Given the broad spectrum of beneficial effects and the safety profile, hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) should be given to most patients with SLE during the whole course of the disease, irrespective of its severity, and be continued during pregnancy. G Ruiz-Irastorza. Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. 22 December 2008. |
| Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) Protects Lupus Patients from Developing Seizures: Data from a Large Multiethnic Cohort. Hydroxychloroquine appears to have a protective role in seizure occurrence, probably due to its combined anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and antiplatelet properties. These date have practical implications for the management of lupus patients. L.A. González. 493/493. ACR 2007. (Also see: Medications) |
| Anti-Malarials in the Treatment of Lupus. Anti-malarials are particularly effective in treating skin and joint symptoms that may occur in SLE. They have been demonstrated to improve muscle and joint pain; inflammation of the lining of the heart (pericarditis); inflammation of the lining of the lung (pleuritis); and other symptoms of lupus such as fatigue and fever. Lupus Foundation of America. |
| Cellcept (Mycophenolate Mofetil) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is as efficacious as, but safer than, cyclophosphamide (CYC) in the treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. MMF offers similar efficacy in renal remission and survival as CYC, and appears safer in the treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis. A. Mak. Rheumatology Advance Access. June 3 2009. (Also see: Lupus Symptoms) |
| Current Therapies for Lupus Nephritis in an Ethnically Heterogeneous Cohort. After controlling for the fact that less severe nephritis is preferentially treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), we found overall that response to MMF was superior to intravenous cyclophosphamide. T. Rivera. J Rheumatol. Dec 1 2008. (Also see: Cellcept) |
| Cytoxan (Cyclophosphamide) |
| Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) is as efficacious as, but safer than, cyclophosphamide (CYC) in the treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. MMF offers similar efficacy in renal remission and survival as CYC, and appears safer in the treatment of proliferative lupus nephritis. A. Mak. Rheumatology Advance Access. June 3 2009. (Also see: Lupus Symptoms) |
| Current Therapies for Lupus Nephritis in an Ethnically Heterogeneous Cohort. After controlling for the fact that less severe nephritis is preferentially treated with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), we found overall that response to MMF was superior to intravenous cyclophosphamide. T. Rivera. J Rheumatol. Dec 1 2008. (Also see: Cellcept) |
| High dose cyclophosphamide performs better than monthly dose cyclophosphamide in quality of life measures. A randomised clinical trial was completed comparing high-dose cyclophosphamide with monthly intravenous cyclophosphamide in patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) who need cyclophosphamide for the first time. This study shows eventual improvements in quality-of-life with both cyclophosphamide regimens which are clinically meaningful to both patients and treating physicians. (SageJournals) KB Dussán. Lupus. November 25, 2008. (Also see: Cyclophosphamide) |
| Lupus Treatments Increase Risk of Infertility in Men. Men with systemic lupus erythematosus, especially those who begin treatment with intravenous cyclophosphamide after puberty, are at risk for sperm abnormalities associated with infertility. Medpage Today. 06/28/07. (Also see: Male Infertility, and Cytoxan) |
| Prednisone |
| Prednisone, Lupus Activity, and Permanent Organ Damage. Our results suggest that low doses of prednisone do not result in a substantially increased risk of irreversible organ damage. M. Thamer. J. Rheum. February 4, 2009. (Also see: Prednisone) |
| Riquent |
| FDA wants new study of lupus drug. Federal regulators said yesterday that they won't approve La Jolla Pharmaceutical's experimental lupus drug Riquent without an additional human study to prove its benefits. San Diego Union Tribune 10/15/04. |
| Rituximab (Rituxan) |
| Is combination rituximab with cyclophosphamide better than rituximab alone in the treatment of lupus nephritis? Rituximab monotherapy appears to be effective as induction therapy in lupus nephritis. The addition of cyclophosphamide offers no additional improvement in clinical, laboratory and renal histological assessment or the duration of B-cell depletion at 48 weeks. E.K. Li. Rheumatology Advance Access. May 28 2009. |
| B-Cell Depletion for Autoimmune Thrombocytopenia (AIT) and Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA) in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Preliminary evidence suggests that B-cell–depletion therapy with rituximab is an efficacious and safe treatment for AIT and AIHA in pediatric SLE. S. Kumar, MD. Pediatrics. December 15, 2008. (Also see: Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic) |
| Stem Cell Transplants |
| Stem Cell Transplant Research for Scleroderma. ISN. |
| Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with cardiac dysfunction: feasibility and reversibility of ventricular and valvular dysfunction with transplant-induced remission. These data suggest that auto-HSCT is feasible in selected patients with lupus-related cardiac dysfunction, and with control of disease activity, may improve. PubMed. Bone Marrow Transplant. 2007 May 7. (Also see: Stem Cell Transplants) |
| Vitamin D |
| Vitamin D in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Most cross-sectional studies show an inverse relationship between levels of vitamin D and disease activity. This suggests that repletion of vitamin D may have benefits beyond bone health for patients with SLE. Kamen, D. Current Opinion in Rheumatology. September 2008. |
