About 54 million Americans have been diagnosed with arthritis — a debilitating joint disease that takes many forms including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis — and 24 million are disabled by some sort of the disease. That means one in four Americans is living with the disease today, up 20 percent since 2002,…
Scientists at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center have discovered a small molecule that can significantly ameliorate symptoms in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients who carry a defective CD11b protein. The findings suggest that pharmacologic activation of CD11b is a potential new therapeutic strategy for SLE. The study, “CD11b…
A new study reports that eculizumab may be effective in the treatment of certain patients with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) with renal (kidney) involvement, a condition called lupus nephritis (LN). In the study, “Expanding the therapeutic options for renal involvement in lupus: eculizumab, available evidence,” published in the journal Rheumatology…
Women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be more frail than people 20 years their senior, according to a new study that also associates frailty with poor physical and cognitive function, functional decline, hospitalization, post-surgery complications and mortality. The study, “Is Frailty A Relevant Concept In SLE?,” appeared in the journal Lupus…
Mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was tested in laboratory mice with a systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)-like disease, and was found to lower the animals’ blood pressure, levels of autoantibodies, and the number of specific white blood cells called B-lymphocytes. Patients with SLE often have high blood pressure, which may be caused by…
Voclosporin has met complete and partial remission endpoints in a clinical trial in patients with lupus nephritis (LN), said Canada’s Aurinia Pharmaceuticals. AURA-LV was a randomized, controlled double-blind Phase 2b clinical trial (NCT02141672) that compared the efficacy and safety of voclosporin with placebo in achieving remission in patients with LN, one of…
Treating newly diagnosed systemic lupus erythematosus patients with Rituxan (rituximab) is safe and effective, according to a study that followed a small group of patients over several years. A key finding was that Rituxan reduced the patients’ use of corticosteroids, which is good news because long-term steroid use can cause numerous…
The discovery of a factor that acts as a brake on the immune system’s first line of defense may lead to new strategies for fighting autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, a study reports. The factor could also impact research into antiviral therapies, vaccine adjuvants, and cancer immunotherapies. An adjuvant…
Urinary levels of the protein albumin may help determine the amount of kidney damage in lupus nephritis patients who exhibit few symptoms, according to a study. The finding could help doctors decide which patients need a kidney biopsy. The study, “Urinary Albumin Levels Are Independently Associated With Renal Lesion…
Children with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) may be prone to develop infections, especially bacterial pneumonia, according to a new study. Also, the risk of infection was higher among African American and Native American children, children with lupus nephritis and other health conditions, and those under corticosteroid treatment. The findings were…