In late July 2022, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approved belimumab (Benlysta) for the treatment of children with active lupus nephritis aged 5 to 17 years old receiving standard therapy.1 Despite recent advances in treatment options for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), those with kidney involvement may develop endstage renal disease and…
As part of a session on lupus nephritis at ACR Convergence 2023, Simone Appenzeller, MD, PhD, shared perspectives on the importance of biopsy to inform the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of the condition, with an emphasis on childhood disease. Prompt diagnosis and treatment of lupus nephritis is perhaps even more important for children than for…
At a session of ACR Convergence 2024, speakers shared key elements of the new guideline on the screening, treatment and overall management of lupus nephritis in children and adults.1 This guideline attempts to balance the risks of medication side effects with the important goal of preserving kidney function. This is the ACR’s first lupus guideline…
AURORA 2 Voclosporin, a novel calcineurin inhibitor (CNI), is associated with a favorable metabolic profile with regard to lipids and glucose, and a predictable pharmacokinetic profile, resulting in no need for the therapeutic drug monitoring required of other CNIs. AURORA 2, a double-blind, phase 3 study, evaluated the longterm safety, tolerability and efficacy of voclosporin…
In this study, Fava et al. investigated longitudinal autoantibody profiles in a racially diverse cohort of patients with lupus nephritis to define noninvasive serological biomarkers of histologic class and one-year treatment response to standard of care. In addition, the researchers determined how these biomarkers changed over time to provide further insights into treatment response and…
Syphilis, an ancient disease caused by the spirochete Treponema pallidum, has been historically referred to as the great mimicker given its heterogenous presentation. Both systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and syphilis can have multi-systemic involvement. Both parvovirus B19 and syphilis have been reported to cause histologic features similar to those seen in lupus nephritis. We present…
“B cells are central orchestraters of autoimmune disease by contributing to autoantibody production, antigen presentation and cytokine production,” says Georg Schett, MD, head of the Department of Medicine 3 (Rheumatology and Immunology) of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany. “B cells can be inhibited by monoclonal antibodies and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) expressing cells.” Dr. Schett…
Renal arteriosclerosis is common in patients with lupus nephritis and occurs two decades earlier than it does in people without the condition, say investigators in a study that examined the prevalence of renal arteriosclerosis in patients with lupus nephritis compared with healthy controls.1 The finding suggests that renal arteriosclerosis could be used as a biomarker…
Understanding the role of NLRP3 inflammasome activation in gout flares points to potential of NLRP3 inflammasome inhibitors as new treatment option.
Incoming Arthritis & Rheumatology Editor-in-Chief Dr. S. Louis Bridges Jr., MD, PhD, discusses his path to rheumatology and outlines his vision for the journal.