Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) treatment may reduce platelet aggregation (clumping together of platelets in the blood) and improve vascular health in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), according to study results published in Lupus Science & Medicine.

A total of 132 patients with SLE (mean age, 39.7±12.9 years; 97% women) were included in the study; 108 patients received hydroxychloroquine. Platelet aggregation was lower in patients who received treatment with hydroxychloroquine compared with those who did not. Compared with patients in the untreated group, those in the hydroxychloroquine group had improved microvascular function.

For the full study please click here.