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Strides Made in Diagnosing, Treating Lupus
Posted 17 days ago by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 10 – Sometimes it takes years for people to get diagnosed with lupus. That wasn't the case for Marisa Zeppieri-Caruana, who had so many of the classic systemic lupus erythematosus symptoms – such as a butterfly-shaped rash on her face, a daily fever and achy joints – that her doctor knew right away that the 23-year-old had the illness. Since then, Zeppieri-Caruana, now 34, has been hospitalized 30 times and has had four mini-strokes along with numerous other problems related to her lupus. Most people who have lupus go through periods where they have active disease (flares) and periods where they don't have any symptoms (remission). Unfortunately, Zeppieri-Caruana said she's never had a time where she's been totally in remission. "An average day for me includes fatigue and fever. It's really hard to try to put weight on, and I usually don't feel like doing anything. I ... Read more
Related support groups: Prednisone, Aspirin, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Prednisolone, Plaquenil, Methylprednisolone, Hydrocortisone, Cortisone, Medrol, Triamcinolone, Betamethasone, Dexamethasone, Hydroxychloroquine, Entocort, Decadron
New Guidelines Issued for Severe Lupus
Posted 3 May 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 3 – When diagnosed with lupus, one in three people already has kidney inflammation, and during the first 10 years with the disease as many as 60 percent of patients will have some kidney problems. Because kidney inflammation (also called lupus nephritis) is so common in people with lupus, the American College of Rheumatology has issued new guidelines for the screening and management of this potentially devastating complication of lupus. "Without treatment, lupus nephritis can lead to end-stage-renal disease, which requires dialysis or a kidney transplant. But, not all types are this serious. It depends on the pattern of damage to the kidneys," said the lead author of the new guidelines, Dr. Bevra Hahn, a professor of medicine and chief of rheumatology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles. Hahn said the course of lupus ... Read more
Related support groups: Lisinopril, Prednisone, Diovan, Benicar, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Losartan, Prednisolone, Plaquenil, Methylprednisolone, Micardis, Cozaar, Hydrocortisone, Cortisone, Medrol, CellCept
New Lupus Genes Identified
Posted 4 Apr 2012 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, April 4 – Three new genes linked to the chronic autoimmune disease lupus have been identified by an international team of researchers. The analysis of more than 17,000 genetic samples from people of several ethnic groups also pinpointed another 11 genetic regions that may be related to lupus and require further study. The researchers found that the genes IRF8 and TMEM39a are associated with lupus in European-American, African-American, Gullah (a distinctive group of African-Americans in Georgia and South Carolina) and Asian patients. The gene IKZF3 is only significantly associated with lupus in African-Americans and European-Americans. The researchers said their findings, which appear in the April 6 issue of the American Journal of Human Genetics, show that the genes that cause lupus aren't always universal. The next step is to study the three genes to find out exactly what ... Read more
Related support groups: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis Linked to Fertility Woes, Miscarriage
Posted 16 Feb 2012 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Feb. 16 – Women with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus often have fewer children than they'd hoped for, according to a new study. These autoimmune diseases, which typically develop during women's reproductive years, cause fertility problems and miscarriage, researchers said. Lupus causes the body's immune system to attack healthy tissues and organs. Rheumatoid arthritis leads to painful joint inflammation. For the study, researchers asked 578 women with rheumatoid arthritis and 114 women with lupus about their reproductive health, and divided them into three groups according to how their condition affected their desire and ability to have children. Group A included women who had fewer children than planned. Group B was comprised of women who had number of children they had planned for, and women in Group C were no longer interested in having children due to ... Read more
Related support groups: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Female Infertility, Lupus Erythematosus
More Known About Proteins That Cause Autoimmune Diseases
Posted 17 Jan 2012 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Jan. 17 – A new study says more than 32 million people in the United States have autoantibodies, which are proteins produced in the immune system that attack the body's tissues. Autoantibodies can cause autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and type 1 diabetes, researchers say. Researchers examined blood serum samples taken from almost 4,800 people who participated in the 1994-2004 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The research team was looking for the most common type of autoantibody, called antinuclear antibodies (ANA). The overall prevalence of antinuclear antibodies was about 14 percent and was slightly higher in blacks than in whites. Frequency generally increased with age and was higher in women than in men, with the female-to-male ratio peaking at 40 to 49 years and then declining with age. "The peak of autoimmunity in females ... Read more
Related support groups: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Diabetes, Type 1, Autoimmune Disorders, Lupus Erythematosus
Vitamin D, Interferon Alpha Vaccine Show Promise Against Lupus
Posted 6 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Nov. 5 – Two experimental treatments take aim at the destructive immune response believed to cause lupus, according to new research presented at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting. One study looked at large doses of vitamin D, while the other was a trial of a potential vaccine against an immune system protein called interferon alpha. "This is an incredibly exciting time in lupus research. The academic and pharmaceutical communities are involved in studies that will hopefully lead to more effective and safer treatments," said Dr. Cynthia Aranow, an investigator at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, N.Y. She was not involved in the current studies. Of these latest studies, Aranow said that both appeared to have an effect on immune system cells, but neither was designed to assess whether or not there was enough of an effect to make a ... Read more
Related support groups: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus
Pregnancy Safe for Most Women With Lupus: Study
Posted 6 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
SATURDAY, Nov. 5 – Pregnancy is safe for most women with stable lupus, a new study indicates. Lupus is a chronic inflammatory disease that can affect many organs of the body and cause arthritis, fatigue and rashes. Lupus has been known to cause complications for pregnant women. The disease occurs mostly in women, often emerging in their 20s and 30s when many women want to have children. In this study, researchers identified a few predictors of lupus-related pregnancy complications, but also found that most women with stable lupus had successful pregnancies. The findings were to be presented Nov. 7 at the American College of Rheumatology annual meeting in Chicago. The study included 333 women with lupus who were followed from their first trimester of pregnancy until three months after they gave birth. On average, the women's lupus was relatively inactive. Poor outcomes occurred in 63 of ... Read more
Related support groups: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus
Black Americans With Lupus Have Better Response to Flu Vaccine
Posted 19 May 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, May 19 – Black Americans with lupus have a higher antibody response to flu vaccination than whites with lupus, a new study says. This may be good news for black Americans with the disease, since patients who had a weak response to the flu vaccine were more likely to experience moderate to severe disease flares following vaccination, compared to patients who had a greater response. As many as 322,000 adults in the United States have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system produces antibodies that attack the body's own tissues and organs. Immunosuppressive therapy and immune system problems make lupus patients more susceptible to infection, according to the researchers. Because of this increased risk, vaccination against common infectious diseases such as the flu are recommended for lupus patients. In this study, U.S. researchers ... Read more
Related support groups: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus, FluLaval, Afluria, FluMist, Fluzone, Flushield, Fluzone WV, Fluogen, Agriflu, Fluvirin, Influenza Virus Vaccine, Inactivated, Fluzone PFS, Fluarix, Fluzone SV
Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis May Raise Risk of Abnormal Heart Rhythm
Posted 6 May 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 6 – People with two common inflammatory diseases stand a higher chance of developing a heart condition that is strongly associated with stroke, a new study suggests. The study, done at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, found that patients with lupus and rheumatoid arthritis have a 60 percent increased risk for atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm (arrhythmia) linked to stroke. Pointing to a recent jump in atrial fibrillation cases, one of the study's authors said it was important to understand all the possible sources of the disease. "We are in the middle of an epidemic of AF (atrial fibrillation)," said Dr. Abhishek Deshmukh, a cardiology fellow at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Medical Center in Little Rock and one of the study's authors. "The numbers have gone sky high as people are living longer. AF tends to affect older people ... Read more
Related support groups: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Arrhythmia, Lupus Erythematosus, Cardiac Arrhythmia
FDA Approves Benlysta to Treat Lupus
Posted 10 Mar 2011 by Drugs.com
March 9, 2011 – The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Benlysta (belimumab) to treat patients with active, autoantibody-positive lupus (systemic lupus erythematosus) who are receiving standard therapy, including corticosteroids, antimalarials, immunosuppressives, and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Benlysta is delivered directly into a vein (intravenous infusion) and is the first inhibitor designed to target B-lymphocyte stimulator (BLyS) protein, which may reduce the number of abnormal B cells thought to be a problem in lupus. Prior to Benlysta, FDA last approved drugs to treat lupus, Plaquenil (hydroxychloroquine) and corticosteroids, in 1955. Aspirin was approved to treat lupus in 1948. Lupus is a serious, potentially fatal, autoimmune disease that attacks healthy tissues. It disproportionately affects women, and usually develops between ages 15 and 44. The ... Read more
Related support groups: Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus
Immune Disorders May Raise Blood Clot Risk in Hospitalized Patients
Posted 10 Jan 2011 by Drugs.com
SUNDAY, Jan. 9 – People with immune-related disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus may be at increased risk for developing potentially deadly blood clots during hospital stays, a new study has found. Researchers at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom analyzed 45 years' worth of medical records of patients who were hospitalized for immune-related disorders and had no evidence or prior history of blood clots in a vein, also called venous thromboembolism (VTE) – one type of which can break off and travel to block a blood vessel in the lungs. The patients were divided into different groups based on their immune-related condition. The researchers then compared them to patients who were hospitalized for minor, non-immune-related problems such as broken bones and minor surgical procedures. The findings are published in the current online edition of the journal BMC ... Read more
Related support groups: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus
Lupus Treatment May Soon Take Leap Forward
Posted 27 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Dec. 24 – For years now, doctors have made slow, incremental progress in the treatment of lupus, a chronic autoimmune condition that can wrack the body and seriously affect a person's health. But researchers now are preparing for a potential major leap forward. A new medication that could be an effective new treatment for the disease was endorsed in mid-November by an advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and recommended for approval. Though the FDA is not bound by its advisory committees' recommendations, it usually follows them. "There is real optimism there may be a drug approved for the treatment of lupus for the first time in 54 years," said Dr. Mary Anne Dooley, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina Kidney Center. Lupus primarily affects women. Nine out of 10 people who have lupus are women. It also appears to be more common among ... Read more
Related support groups: Lupus Erythematosus
FDA Advisers Consider New Lupus Drug
Posted 16 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 16 – U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisers were weighing Tuesday whether to recommend the first new drug in more than 50 years to treat the autoimmune disease lupus. The drug, belimumab (Benlysta), is a so-called monoclonal antibody drug developed to treat patients who suffer from systemic lupus erythematosus. In research papers submitted to the advisory committee, the full FDA expressed some concerns about the efficacy and safety of the drug. "I really do think the drug is efficacious," said Sandra C. Raymond, president & CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, who was attending the advisory panel meeting. "What I'm hearing in terms of efficacy is pretty strong." The FDA said it wants the advisory panel to look at both the efficacy data, which according to the agency is modest, and the safety data, which the agency believes raises some serious issues. Specifically, ... Read more
Related support groups: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus
Overactive Blood Platelets May Play Role in Lupus
Posted 1 Sep 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Sept. 1 – Overactive blood platelets could trigger inflammation in those with lupus, but the anti-clotting drug Plavix might ease the painful symptoms of this autoimmune disease, a new study suggests. Platelets, which are the colorless, disc-shaped blood cells that are key to clotting, are suspected to be involved in lupus, explained senior study author Dr. Patrick Blanco, of the University of Bordeaux in France, but "their precise role was poorly understood until now." Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease thought to develop when the body's own antibodies start attacking organs. Sufferers experience recurring pain and inflammation in many parts of their body. Some common symptoms include joint pain or swelling, muscle pain, fever with no known cause, and red rashes, often on the face, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine. The exact cause of ... Read more
Related support groups: Plavix, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus
Scientists Find New Key to Lupus
Posted 16 Jul 2010 by Drugs.com
MONDAY, Oct. 19 – Researchers say they've gained new understanding of how lupus develops in mice, a finding that could help future treatments for the autoimmune disease. An estimated 1.5 million to 2 million people in the United States suffer from lupus, a disorder in which the body's defenses turn inward. The condition can cause symptoms similar to those of arthritis and rheumatic diseases. At issue is the immune system's ability to take out the trash – to get rid of cells that don't have long to live. "Just like in mice, in humans, if you don't clear the dying cells, then that predisposes you to lupus," said Lata Mukundan, a Stanford University School of Medicine researcher and co-author of a study published online Oct. 18 in the journal Nature Medicine. "If you look at patients with lupus, they have an inability to clear those dead cells," Mukundan said in a statement. The study ... Read more
Related support groups: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Lupus Erythematosus