A recent study in The Journal of Rheumatology sheds light on the importance of preconceptional cardiovascular health in women with systemic lupus erythematosus. Although many questions remain, improved cardiovascular health measures seem to positively affect pregnancy outcomes, suggesting a potential role for preconception cardiovascular interventions.1 Women with lupus now have healthier pregnancies than in the…
How laboratories define a serological hallmark of systemic lupus erythematous and which assays they use to detect it could contribute to misclassification of patients identified as anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) negative, according to researchers. Most people who have lupus test positive for ANAs as part of an immunology screening for autoimmune disorders. The presence of ANAs…
According to new research, women with SLE are at the highest risk for adverse pregnancy outcomes during a lupus flare. The data may enable clinicians to use risk stratification and tailored monitoring to counsel SLE patients who are pregnant or considering pregnancy. Researchers also found that maternal age, lupus nephritis and antiphospholipid antibodies may affect pregnancy outcomes…
As the 21st century unfolds, rheumatologists will most likely transition from prescribing lupus patients broad immunosuppressants to more targeted treatment approaches. But to make this happen and advance research, the challenges experienced in lupus clinical trial design must be addressed…
When patients with lupus are hospitalized, they should be screened and likely treated for venous thromboembolism, researchers of a nationwide study say. In May, ACR Open Rheumatology published results of the large retrospective study spanning several years. Researchers analyzed trends in mortality, morbidity and hospitalization from venous thromboembolism (VTE), specifically among patients diagnosed with systemic…
Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) therapy may effectively manage systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in many patients, but that doesn’t mean patients will take it as often as they should. In fact, results from a recently published study found that about half of SLE patients were not adherent.1 The study was led by Lucy H. Liu, MD, MPH, a…
Researchers who devote their time to studying lupus are accustomed to considering environmental stimuli such as sunshine and cigarettes. But according to Gregg J. Silverman, MD, a professor in the Department of Medicine and in the Department of Pathology at the New York University (NYU) School of Medicine and co-director of the Musculoskeletal Center of…
Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) need better appraisal and more informational and social support, according to a new study on health-related quality of life in these patients.1 The phenomenological study, comprising qualitative interviews with patients in the Lupus Clinic at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Mo., also found a need for…
Recent research into rituximab-induced serum sickness (RISS) reinforces the understanding that patients generally recover quickly. However, the study also found patients with autoimmune disease, especially SLE, had a significantly higher risk for developing RISS than patients using rituximab to treat hematological malignancy…
Recent research indicates that previous concerns about mortality associated with pregnancy in women with SLE may no longer be applicable. In the study, researchers found a significant decline in the in-hospital maternal mortality rate of women with SLE and a decrease in their length of non-delivery related hospitalization over the past two decades…