The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Rituximab for Children with Lupus Nephritis

Rituximab for Children with Lupus Nephritis

September 15, 2021 • By Lorraine L. Janeczko

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—Pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists appear to differ in their treatment choices for children who have lupus nephritis (LN), with rheumatologists more likely to prescribe rituximab, results of a small survey suggest.

You Might Also Like
  • Updates in Pediatric Lupus: Experts Discuss Advances in Lupus Nephritis Treatments, Monogenic Lupus & More
  • Lupus Nephritis Guidelines in Progress
  • FDA Approves Rituximab for Children with GPA & MPA
Also By This Author
  • Intraocular Vancomycin Associated with Hemorrhagic Occlusive Retinal Vasculitis

“This study highlights the importance of collaborative effort in developing CTPs (Consensus Treatment Plans) for pediatric LN,” the authors write in Pediatric Rheumatology. “This provides an opportunity to work towards consensus to reduce heterogeneity in the treatment of refractory pediatric LN so that we can perform comparative effectiveness trials.”

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Mileka Gilbert, MD, PhD, of the Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, and her research team conducted an online survey of members of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) and the American Society for Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN) in November 2015.

The researchers asked the providers about their therapy choices (other than modifying steroid dosing) and assessed the level of agreement between rheumatologists and nephrologists in the treatments they chose for children with LN. Overall, 76 ASPN members and 41 CARRA members—around 15% of the eligible members—took part in the survey.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

The survey presented two cases: 1) refractory disease after induction treatment with corticosteroid and cyclophosphamide (CYC), and 2) nephritis flare after initial response to treatment. For each case, respondents chose treatments for three follow-up scenarios involving various degrees of severity. Options included rituximab, CYC, mycophenolate mofetil and others, alone or in combination.

Nephrologists and rheumatologists varied widely in their choices, with over half of them agreeing on treatment choice in only two of the six follow-up scenarios.

Overall, 59% of nephrologists and 38% of rheumatologists chose to increase mycophenolate mofetil dose to treat LN that was refractory to induction therapy with proteinuria, hematuria and improved serum creatinine.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

In severe renal flare after remission with induction therapy, 58% of rheumatologists chose CYC and rituximab combination therapy, while the most popular choice for nephrologists (43%) was CYC alone.

Compared with nephrologists, rheumatologists chose more therapy options that contained rituximab in all but one of the follow-up scenarios (P<0.05).

“The study is limited by the numbers of participants in the survey, thus the results may not be generalizable,” Dr. Gilbert acknowledged.

“The variability among therapy choices highlights the need for pediatric nephrologists and rheumatologists to collaborate on studies to treat lupus nephritis in children,” she told Reuters Health by email. “Members of CARRA and ASPN have come together to form the Pediatric Nephrology and Rheumatology Collaborative Group to study important research questions and provide hope to children with lupus nephritis.”

Pages: 1 2 | Single Page

Filed Under: Biologics & Biosimilars, Conditions, SLE (Lupus) Tagged With: Pediatrics

You Might Also Like:
  • Updates in Pediatric Lupus: Experts Discuss Advances in Lupus Nephritis Treatments, Monogenic Lupus & More
  • Lupus Nephritis Guidelines in Progress
  • FDA Approves Rituximab for Children with GPA & MPA
  • Lupus Nephritis: Understanding the Paradigm for Treatment

ACR Convergence

Don’t miss rheumatology’s premier scientific meeting for anyone involved in research or the delivery of rheumatologic care or services.

Visit the ACR Convergence site »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Meeting Abstracts

Browse and search abstracts from the ACR Convergence and ACR/ARP Annual Meetings going back to 2012.

Visit the Abstracts site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)