Research from Around the world
Lupus News
People with lupus produce autoantibodies causing the body to attack itself and promoting inflammation and tissue damage. A new research study divided people with lupus into two cohorts, or groups, so they could identify key differences. One group consisted of first-degree relatives (FDRs) without lupus and healthy people, and their molecular profiles were compared against a second group, which consisted of unrelated people with and without lupus.
The kidneys of patients living with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are often under assault, and not all those living with the disease will respond to standard treatment. A new report published in the journal Nature Immunology online May 20 shows how tissue samples from these patients can accurately predict those more likely than not to respond to therapy. SLE is a disease marked by the attack on joints, skin, and kidneys by the body's immune system..
Osteopontin (OPN) is a protein present in the bone and other tissues. Elevated levels of OPN have been observed in several autoimmune diseases including lupus. Investigators from a group called Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) examined data from 344 people with lupus over the course of five years to determine whether raised OPN is a reliable biomarker for lupus. Specifically, they wanted to know if increased levels of OPN could predict damage; reflect current disease activity; or if increased OPN levels are associated with certain disease phenotypes (characteristics).
Adults with lupus who report having had adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as abuse, neglect and household challenges, report higher disease activity, depression and poorer overall health compared to those without such experiences, according to a study by researchers at UC San Francisco.
"Our results support the notion that stress in the form of ACEs may be a factor in poor health in systemic lupus, both in disease development and in more severe outcomes," said lead author Kimberly DeQuattro, MD, a clinical fellow in rheumatology at UCSF. "These findings are a call to action to focus efforts on ACE prevention in childhood, as well as clinical and mental health interventions that foster resilience in adulthood."
In a new research survey researchers surveyed people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) about their experiences with diet and their thoughts on diet as a therapeutic option. The study consisted of a 15-question survey focused around diet in people with lupus. The survey was designed to gather important information without being too burdensome for people with lupus to complete.
Pregnant women with lupus are more likely to suffer complications than those who don’t. Lupus Research Alliance Scientific Advisory Board members Dr. Virginia Pascual, Professor at Weill Cornell Medicine; and Dr. Jane Salmon, Collette Kean Research Professor at Hospital for Special Surgery, and their colleagues asked if testing the blood, of pregnant women with lupus, using advanced technologies could identify, early in pregnancy, lupus patients at high risk for complications.
A 20-year study of women with lupus has found strong evidence that depression increases a person’s risk of developing lupus. That insight casts doubt on the generally accepted belief that depression is simply a by-product of having lupus. If depression is the chicken and lupus is the egg, the researchers found that the chicken could come first.
A large international study has probed the causes of lupus-related psychosis—a serious condition marked by delusions and hallucinations. Dr. John Hanly and his co-authors at research centers across several continents found that lupus psychosis (LP) is quite rare, affecting only 1.5 percent of people with lupus. They also observed that the condition tends to occur more often in the first few years after a diagnosis with lupus and is more frequent among male patients and patients of African descent.
One-quarter of systemic lupus erythematosus patients in the U.S. taking hydroxychloroquine tablets daily are exceeding the recommended doses for this treatment, and up to one-third of those on alternate-day treatment are forgetting or mixing up their medication, a study reports.
The problem, researchers say, is that only 200 mg tablets exist – and many patients are prescribed a 300 mg dose. New dosage forms are needed to ensure proper treatment, researchers recommend.
Physical Exercise and Psychological Interventions Complement Usual Medical Care in Lupus.
Over the last two decades more research has been conducted which looks at non pharmacological therapies as a potential adjunct (add on) treatment to relieve lupus symptoms such a pain, fatigue, depression, quality of life and disease activity. Researchers in a new study conducted an updated literature review to bring together major findings and allow for some conclusions to be drawn.
A study of pregnant women with systemic lupus erythematosus has identified early changes in the RNA molecules present in the blood that could be used to determine the likelihood of them developing preeclampsia.
The study, which is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, may also help researchers develop treatments to prevent other pregnancy complications associated with lupus, including miscarriage and premature birth.
Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (cSLE) accounts for 10-20 percent of all people living with lupus. Understanding the living experience of adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with cSLE is an important first step in developing interventions to aid in self-management and adherence.
A new study surveyed AYAs from a Midwestern children’s hospital with cSLE between the ages of 12 and 24, and 44 primary caregivers, about living with lupus.
Patients with lupus, an inflammatory disease in which the body's immune system attacks its own tissues, are on average seven to nine times more likely to develop heart disease than the general population. Younger women with lupus are 50 times as likely to develop the disease as young women without the disease.
The endothelium -- the single layer of cells lining blood vessel walls -- is thought to protect against heart disease. It does so in part by producing nitric oxide.
Lupus can be a stubborn disease to treat. Although many struck by the autoimmune condition live relatively normal lives, some suffer from kidney failure, blood clots, and other complications that can be deadly. Now, scientists have found that a novel treatment that wipes out the immune system’s B cells cures mice of the condition. Though the work is preliminary, it has excited researchers because it uses a therapy already approved for people with blood cancer.
“This is a critical stepping stone,” says Jennifer Anolik, a rheumatologist who runs the lupus clinic at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York who was not involved with the work.
