More and more I am humbled at the connection between the microbiome and immunity. We are continuing to learn daily how our health is connected with the relationship we have with the world around us and how we process our environment. I personally have someone in…
A group of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania may have found part of the reason lupus is more prevalent in women than in men: a defect that prevents the full inactivation of women’s second X chromosome in immune T cells. The findings of the study, “…
As part of The Patient Voice segment of the 13th International Congress on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, prominent lupus advocate Kathleen Arntsen discussed the importance of making sure those living with the disease are heard. Known informally as Lupus 2019, the April 5-8 meeting in San Francisco, California, was…
One-quarter of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in the U.S. taking hydroxychloroquine tablets daily are exceeding the recommended doses for this treatment, and up to one-third of those on alternate-day treatment are forgetting or mixing up their medication, a study reports. The problem, researchers say, is that only 200 mg tablets…
Treatment with the investigational vaccine IFN-alpha Kinoid increased the number of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients achieving low disease activity, lessened their use of corticosteroids, and was well-tolerated, according to full results of a Phase 2b trial. The findings, “IFN Kinoid in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE):…
Two groups of researchers at the University of Houston received a total of $5 million in grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop methods for early detection and monitoring of lupus nephritis. Chandra Mohan received a $3 million grant to develop methods for early diagnosis. His group’s research focuses on…
In Asian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is more prevalent and associated with worse overall survival rates than it is for patients in western countries, a study reports. It also suggests systemic hypertension (high blood pressure) as a risk factor for the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is recruiting participants for a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of Benlysta (belimumab) in combination with rituximab for treating patients with active systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study will evaluate if the treatment combo is better at sustaining low disease activity or remission than Benlysta…
The Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) — a tool commonly used to determine disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus patients — misses nearly two of out three patients with clinically meaningful changes in disease activity, a Portuguese study found. The study, “Performance of SLEDAI-2K…
The immunosuppressive agent tacrolimus, used in combination with other immunosuppressants, was deemed safe and effective for treatment of lupus nephritis, a serious complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a new study shows. The study, “Efficacy and safety of tacrolimus in induction therapy of patients with lupus nephritis,” was published…