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Treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus

The past year continued to see both major studies and interesting case reports slowly add suggestions, if not absolute knowledge, concerning the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus. The Lupus Nephritis Collaborative Study Group published two papers, one of which concerned the lack of efficacy of plasmapheresis in treating severe lupus nephritis. A related paper documented the utility of initial serum creatinine in predicting renal failure in patients enrolled in both arms of the plasmapheresis study. Patients in the study received high-dose oral prednisone and low-dose oral cyclophosphamide. Whether this approach is superior to pulse intravenous cyclophosphamide is yet to be determined. Two other approaches to treatment were also reported: anti-CD4, based on success in case reports, merits further study; the modified androgen, 19-nortestosterone, was unfortunately not effective. Other case reports provide additional evidence for specific treatments in certain situations, such as the use of tetracycline pleurodesis for recurrent pleural effusions. Finally, reports of new side effects for old medicines and new ones are a reminder that the treatment can be part of the problem when a lupus patient develops complications.