Publications
Find coverage of the latest original articles on Lupus, focusing on those with data on therapeutic interventions and those that have clinical impact.
This activity is supported by an educational grant from AstraZeneca.
Risk of flare and damage accrual after tapering glucocorticoids in modified serologically active clinically quiescent patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A multinational observational cohort study
Ann Rheum Dis. 2024 Feb 29:ard-2023-225369 doi: 10.1136/ard-2023-225369 Epub ahead of print
Flare risk did not increase following glucocorticoid tapering in modified serologically active clinically quiescent patients with SLE. They also found that antimalarial use was associated with decreased flare risk.
Predictors of Renal Flares in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Post-hoc Analysis of Four Phase III Clinical Trials of Belimumab
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2024 DOI: 10.1093/rheumatology/keae023 Epub ahead of print
High baseline proteinuria levels, hypoalbuminaemia, and C3 consumption were associated with
renal flare development. Renal flares remain common in patients with SLE, however causative factors are still largely unknown. Jagerback, et al. conducted a post-hoc analysis of pooled BLISS trial data to identify predictors of renal flares.
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Burden of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Clinical Practice: Baseline Data from the SLE Prospective Observational Cohort Study (SPOCS) by Interferon Gene Signature
Lupus Sci Med. 2023; 10(2):e001032 DOI: 10.1136/lupus-2023-001032
This study from Arnaud et al described baseline characteristics of SLE patients grouped by disease activity and IFNGS category in the international SPOCS study. IFNGS-high patients were younger at SLE diagnosis, and a baseline SLEDAI-2K score ≥10 was associated with shorter disease duration, more frequent and more severe flares. IFNGS-low patients were more likely to exhibit musculoskeletal and CNS comorbidities than IFNGS-high patients. Continuation of the SPOCS study will allow investigation into how different baseline characteristics affect long-term outcomes in SLE patients.
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Association Between Severe Nonadherence to Hydroxychloroquine and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Flares, Damage, and Mortality in 660 Patients From the SLICC Inception Cohort
Arthritis Rheumatol. 2023; 75(12):2195–2206 DOI: 10.1002/art.42645
n this study, severe nonadherence to hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) was independently associated with the risk of SLE flare in the following year, early damage and 5-year mortality.
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Impact of Low Disease Activity, Remission, and Complete Remission on Flares Following Tapering of Corticosteroids and Immunosuppressive Therapy in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematous: A Multinational Cohort Study
The Lancet Rheumatology, 2023, Volume 5, Issue 10, e584 - e593 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2665-9913(23)00209-6
In this study, tapering of corticosteroids or immunosuppressive therapy in patients in LLDAS, remission, or complete remission was associated with excess flares versus continuing with therapy. Tapering in complete remission was associated with lower odds of flares compared with tapering in LLDAS or remission. In addition, patients with longer sustained duration of LLDAS or remission at the time of tapering had lower odds of flare and longer time to flare versus those with a shorter duration of LLDAS or remission.
Belimumab and antimalarials combined against renal flares in patients treated for extra-renal systemic lupus erythematosus: results from 4 phase III clinical trials
Rheumatology (Oxford) 2023;63(2):338–48 doi: 10.1093/rheumatology/kead253
The protection conferred from belimumab against renal flare development in patients treated for extra-renal SLE appears enhanced when administered along with antimalarials (AMA).
Efficacy of anifrolumab across organ domains in patients with moderate-to-severe systemic lupus erythematosus: a post-hoc analysis of pooled data from the TULIP-1 and TULIP-2 trials
Lancet Rheumatol. Published online February 3, 2022
Across two pivotal phase 3 trials (TULIP-1 and TULIP-2), anifrolumab treatment improved systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity across multiple organ domains, compared with placebo.
Real-world Impact of Flaring on Patient-Reported Outcomes and Healthcare Resource Utilisation in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Clin Exp Rheumatol. 2021.Epub ahead of print
Data from the real world underscores the need for more effective strategies and treatments to alleviate or prevent flaring in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).
Despite data from Hong Kong and Canada showing an association of flaring with reduced health-related quality of life and increased healthcare resourse utilisation and costs, similar international data are limited.
Flares after Hydroxychloroquine Reduction or Discontinuation: Results from the Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics (SLICC) Inception Cohort
Ann Rheum Dis. 2021:annrheumdis-2021-221295. Epub ahead of print
Evidence suggests that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) reduction/withdrawal may be safe in some stable patients, but in other settings it may be associated with disease flare. Almeida-Brasil, et al. sought to evaluate SLE flares following HCQ reduction or discontinuation versus HCQ maintenance. Their data suggest that maintaining HCQ was associated with a lower flare risk than reduction or discontinuation, even in patients with low disease activity or remission.
Effectiveness of Belimumab After Rituximab in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Ann Intern Med. 2021. Epub ahead of print. doi: 10.7326/M21-2078.
Preliminary evidence suggests that belimumab after rituximab could be developed as a therapeutic strategy for patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) refractory to conventional therapy.