Dr. Aranow, who became Ramona’s rheumatologist about two years ago, is different. Ramona’s first compliment is that Dr. Aranow helped her lose weight by adjusting the steroid regimen that had made her uncomfortably heavy, but then her praise starts gushing out.
“With Dr. Aranow, she’s always making sure …” says Ramona. “Make sure you do this, take care of this. If I call and say, ‘I don’t have this prescription, it ran out,’ she’ll call the pharmacy right away for me.
“Every time I need her, she’s just a phone call away, or I can e-mail her, or even go by her office if I have any problems,” she continues. “She’ll take the time out and say, ‘Sure, I’ll see you,’ even if it’s not an appointment.
“She’ll take care of me and help me out with any problems I have,” says Ramona. “She really looks out for me.”
Clinical Trials Offer Promise and Challenges
“It’s not only that [minorities] are more susceptible to [SLE], but they have a more severe disease—more kidney involvement,” says Dr. Aranow. “Is there a genetic difference, or is it access to healthcare—is the disease smoldering longer before they present? I think both are true. We do know that patients who are less well off do less well.”
On the other hand, patients with SLE have many reasons to hope. Dr. Aranow uses the word “explosion” to describe the state of lupus research. “We’re clearly at a point where there are a number of very, very promising agents on the horizon,” she says. “We’re all hoping that these are going to make a significant impact on the clinical course of the disease.”
When Dr. Aranow suggested Ramona participate in a clinical trial, though, the decision was easy. “I volunteered for it because I try to help out with anything I can that has to do with lupus,” says Ramona. “Maybe my study can help somebody else.”
Dr. Aranow broached the topic of Ramona participating in a clinical trial very carefully. “I need to present it honestly—what the study involves and what we know about it, but also emphasizing what we don’t know about it,” she says. “I’m offering a clinical study because I think that it could be potentially good, but there are always potential risks. When talking to a patient about enrolling into a potential trial, before a patient says anything I add, ‘And I refuse to take an answer now. I want you to think about this.’ ”
