Podcast: Immunosuppressive treatment for people with proliferative lupus nephritis

Systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, is an autoimmune disease that can affect any part of the body. About half the people with it develop lupus nephritis. In the June 2018 update of their Cochrane Review, David Tunnicliffe from the Centre for Kidney Research in the Children ’s Hospital at Westmead and the University of Sydney’s School of Public Health in Australia and colleagues brought together the studies that have tested a range of treatments." Lupus nephritis is a serious condition, leading to end-stage kidney disease in 15% of patients after 10 years. It mainly affects women of child-bearing age, and is more common in some groups, such as those of Hispanic and Asian ethnicity, who also experience more aggressive disease. In the 1950s, most patients survived less than five years, but newer treatments mean that more than 90% of patients will now live a normal lifespan. Cyclophosphamide-containing regimens became established as first line therapy for inducing remission in the 1970s and 1980s, but the drug has a high incidence of adverse events, such as serious infection, hair-loss, and infertility. Furthermore, response to treatment is often slow, and even if remission is achieved, the risk or relapse or flare remains considerable.In the past ten years, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) emerged as a less toxic alternative to cyclophosphamide but there is uncertainty about which agent is more effectie. Over recent years, randomized trials have been done to compare these drugs...
Source: Cochrane News and Events - Category: Information Technology Authors: Source Type: news