Definition of remission for lupus patients 'may need refining'

A new international study has highlighted the need for the clinical definition of remission for lupus (SLE) patients to be further refined. The study, led by Germany's Heinrich-Heine University and involving the UK's Royal Blackburn Hospital, suggested that many systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients deemed to be in remission still experience a range of debilitating symptoms. Data for 1,227 patients was drawn from a multinational real-world survey of patients with SLE, consulting rheumatologists and nephrologists in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. The team compared the reported symptom burden as recorded by treating physicians for patients considered to be in remission and those not considered to be in remission, in order to develop a clearer picture of what 'remission' means for these patients. According to data published in the medical journal Lupus, doctors are often classing their patients as being in remission despite considerable ongoing symptom burdens, with many subjects still relying on an intensive course of immunosuppressive medicines. Patients considered to be in remission still had a mean average of 2.68 current symptoms, compared to 5.48 among those not in remission. The most common ongoing symptoms among those supposedly in remission were joint problems, fatigue, pain, haematological issues and kidney abnormalities. The study concluded: "The current analysis highlights important ongoing disease activity, symptom burden and immunosuppressive med...
Source: Arthritis Research UK - Category: Rheumatology Source Type: news