Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0024141 (systemic lupus erythematosus)
 44,322 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

More than a decade has gone by since the detailed clinical description of the Antiphospholipid (Hughes) Syndrome. Because of the wide spectrum of manifestations, virtually any physician may encounter patients with this potentially treatable condition. Because of limited controlled, prospective data, current therapy remains empirical and directed at coagulation mechanisms, immune mechanisms, or both. There is now good evidence that patients with antiphospholipid-associated thrombosis will be subject to recurrences and require prophylactic therapy. Although most authorities agree about the efficacy of warfarin alone or warfarin plus low-dose aspirin in preventing recurrences of venous and arterial thrombosis, there is still doubt regarding the intensity and duration of warfarin therapy. Steroids and immunosuppressive drugs have not provided long-term benefit. Controlled clinical trials of the treatment of pregnant women with antiphospholipid antibody demonstrated that prednisolone is ineffective, and possibly detrimental, in treatment of recurrent pregnancy loss and that heparin plus low-dose aspirin is beneficial.
Lupus 1998
PMID:Management of thrombosis and pregnancy loss in the antiphospholipid syndrome. 981 96

The history of antiarrhythmic therapy reveals these agents to be associated with a high incidence of toxicity. Although several agents have ocular effects, amiodarone is the most widely recognized for producing adverse effects in the eyes. Corneal microdeposits are almost ubiquitous in patients being treated with amiodarone. However, they are, for the most part, benign and produce no changes in visual acuity. Lack of microdeposits should prompt the physician to investigate whether there is a problem with drug absorption or adherence to therapy. Other effects on the eye have been reported including optic neuropathy, but no causal link has been proved with amiodarone. The population of patients treated with amiodarone often have ischemic disease and/or diabetes, which affect retinal and optic nerve health. Many antiarrhythmic agents also affect lung function. The frequent association of procainamide with a lupus-like syndrome, where half the cases develop pleural-pericardial involvement, may require discontinuation of that drug. Although beta blockers and to a lesser degree, calcium antagonists, may cause bronchospasm in some patients, this is not usually a major clinical problem. Again, it is amiodarone that has the most widespread reputation for causing pulmonary toxicity. Although infrequent (< 1% incidence), it generates the most fear as it is sometimes fatal. Because of the lack of a diagnostic "gold standard," it is often overdiagnosed, placing patients at risk from overlooked congestive heart failure and infections and from recurrent arrhythmias after drug withdrawal. Patients with pre-existing pulmonary disease appear to be more at risk. Common features include indolent onset of cough, malaise and fever associated with patchy peripheral infiltrates, and severely decreased diffusion capacity. Several cases of pulmonary toxicity have had inordinately high serum desethylamiodarone to amiodarone ratios. Most cases recover with cessation of amiodarone therapy. Steroids are commonly used, but are of unproved efficacy. In terms of its toxicity, amiodarone remains the most feared of the antiarrhythmic agents. In the future, a better understanding of its pharmacokinetics, mechanisms of toxicity, and optimal dosing regimens should provide a possibility of better strategies for avoidance, early diagnosis, and more directed therapy of toxicities associated with amiodarone.
 ...
PMID:Clinical organ toxicity of antiarrhythmic compounds: ocular and pulmonary manifestations. 1056 58

The antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is now emerging as an important cause of recurrent pregnancy loss. A variety of treatments, including steroids, aspirin, heparin and immunoglobulin, alone or in combination, have been assessed in experimental studies and in clinical trials. Steroids are no longer recommended as first-line therapy for patients with APS without overt lupus, because they are associated with significant foetal and maternal morbidity. Based on data from recent trials, heparin plus low-dose aspirin appears to be the regimen of choice for patients with APS who have a history of thrombosis or pregnancy losses with aspirin alone. Aspirin is safe in pregnancy. Subcutaneous heparin does not cross the placenta and therefore has no adverse effects on the foetus. For the mother, however, potential side effects of heparin treatment include bleeding, thrombocytopenia and osteoporosis. Warfarin must be avoided during the first trimester but may have a role to play subsequently in certain subsets of patients. Some studies have demonstrated that combined therapy with prednisone and aspirin, or with heparin and aspirin, may improve the outcome in women with autoimmune disorders who are undergoing in-vitro fertilization.
 ...
PMID:Is there a role for antithrombotic therapy in the prevention of pregnancy loss? 1062 18

Pancreatitis can develop as a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Steroids are considered one of the possible causes of this complication, but the pathological mechanism is unclear. We describe an autopsy case of a 29-year-old woman with cytomegalovirus (CMV) associated pancreatitis that developed during steroid therapy for her SLE. Many parenchymal cells with cytomegalic inclusions were seen in the patient's pancreas, especially in lesions showing active inflammation, and transcripts of CMV major immediate-early and late genes, markers of active viral replication, were detected. These findings suggest that CMV played an etiological role in the pancreatic disorder.
 ...
PMID:Cytomegalovirus associated pancreatitis in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. 1109 60

Infection remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). To describe the nature and outcomes of infection and determine their associated risk factors in patients with SLE, we performed a nested case-control study at the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic, with prospective follow-up according to a standard protocol since 1970. Cases were SLE patients seen between January 1987 and January 1992 who had documented infections and controls were patients without infection from the same cohort matched for age, gender and time of visit. The type, site and outcome of infection were recorded for each case. A conditional logistic regression analysis was performed to compare factors associated with infection in cases and their controls. Ninety-three patients had 148 infection episodes; the majority were bacterial, but viral, fungal and protozoan organisms were also identified (multiple organisms in seven). Forty-eight patients required hospital admission and three patients died. Steroids at time of infection, as well as use ever, duration and dose, immunosuppressives at time of infection and use ever, active renal disease, CNS damage, SLEDAI at the time of infection, adjusted mean SLEDAI and variability measure were significantly associated with infection by univariate analysis. By multivariate analysis one factor remained statistically significant: use of steroids ever (P = 0.029). Infection carries a large burden for SLE patients. Until new medications which will control disease activity without predisposing to infection are developed, careful titration of steroids and cytotoxic drugs to control disease activity will remain crucial.
Lupus 2002
PMID:The nature and outcome of infection in systemic lupus erythematosus. 1204 87

Salmonella septic arthritis is an infrequent infectious disease but can cause progressive joint destruction resulting in disability. The authors retrospectively reviewed cases with culture proved Salmonella septic arthritis in Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen from 1994 to 2000. There were 23 episodes in 16 cases; all had underlying diseases and a history of steroid abuse or steroid and immunosuppressive therapy. Systemic lupus erythematosus was the most commonly found underlying disease (56%). Salmonella group D and group B were isolated in 13 and 3 cases. Most first episodes had acute onset of monoarthritis. The antibiotics used as initial treatment of the first episodes were beta lactam, cotrimoxazole or quinolones. There were 8 cases with disabled sequelae and 7 cases with relapse. For 13 evaluable first episodes, relapse occurred in 3 cases in the cephalosporin/penicillin and 4 cases in the cotrimoxazole treated group but none in the quinolones. Six relapse cases were treated successfully with quinolones as well as one with cotrimoxazole. Although 5 relapse cases treated with quinolones had previous progressive joint destruction or avascular necrosis, there was no further joint damage after re-treatment with quinolones. In conclusion, quinolones were more effective than beta-lactams and cotrimoxazole for the treatment of Salmonella septic arthritis to prevent relapse and progressive joint destruction.
 ...
PMID:Quinolones and Salmonella septic arthritis. 1245 76

ANTIBODIES: The term antiphospholipid antibodies (APLA) regroups a family antibodies that recognise anionic and neutral phospholipids, which are the components of plasmatic cell membranes. These antibodies expose the patients to risk of venous and/or arterials thromboembolic accidents and obstetrical complications such as repeated early miscarriage or, more rarely foetal loss. A SYNDROME: The presence of such antibodies associated with this type of clinical events defines the antiphospholipid antibody syndrome (APS) that can be isolated and defined as primary or associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. The APS represents one of the most frequent thrombophilic states. The two APLA used in the diagnosis of APS are the circulating lupus anticoagulant and anticardiolipid antibodies. Indeed, these are the only APS for which research techniques have been standardised. PERSONALISED TREATMENT: Treatment relies on anticoagulants. Steroids are unnecessary except when APS is associated with lupus during the catastrophic syndrome of APS, characterised by multiorgan failure related to thrombotic microangiopathy lesions. The modalities of use of anticoagulants (indications, dose and duration) remain debated and underline the great risk of recurrent thrombosis on withdrawal of treatment.
 ...
PMID:[The significance and treatment of antiphospholipid antibodies]. 1550 54

Thrombocytopenia frequently complicates systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and its long-term management may be problematic. Intravenous immunoglobulins and high doses of steroids are often effective as induction therapy, but thrombocytopenia frequently relapses during steroid tapering. Several immunosuppressive agents have been evaluated as induction or maintenance therapy in small series or in case reports. We describe six consecutive unselected SLE patients where cyclosporin-A (CyA) was effective and safe in the long-term management of thrombocytopenia and allowed steroid tapering. One relapse occurred during CyA reduction and responded to CyA dose adjustment. Steroids could be stopped in three out of six patients, and were maintained at very low doses in the remaining patients. CyA was stopped in one patient after one year of treatment, without relapse at month 11+ from discontinuation. No severe side effects were documented. Overall, these data suggest that CyA may prove to be an effective and safe therapeutic option for SLE-related thrombocytopenia.
Lupus 2006
PMID:Efficacy of cyclosporin-A in the long-term management of thrombocytopenia associated with systemic lupus erythematosus. 1653 77

In rheumatic diseases there can appear deteriorations of the thrombocytes number in the sense of increase or decrease of this number.Thrombocytosis has 3 major causes: (1) reactive or secondary thrombocytosis; (2) family thrombocytosis and (3) clonal thrombocytosis. Thrombocytopenia, that is, decrease of the thrombocytes number below 150000/mmc is unusually in rheumatic diseases. Their mechanism of production can be central and peripheral. In the connective tissue disorders and vasculitis thrombocytopenia can has different causes: (1) decrease thrombocytes production; (2) splenic platelets sequestration; (3) peripheral platelets consumption; (4) peripheral immune mediated destruction of platelets. Thrombocytopenia is present in the following rheumatic diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus, antiphospholipid syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, Felty syndrome, vasculitis. Steroids are the conventional first line therapy for immune thrombocytopenia. Corticosteroid resistance can develop as a result of deteriorations that appear to the any level of pathway action of corticosteroids.
 ...
PMID:[Corticosteroid resistance thrombocytopenia in connective tissue disorders and vasculitis]. 1780 30

The use of protein-based anti-TNF-alpha therapies such as antibodies and soluble TNF-alpha receptors is commonly associated with the induction of autoantibodies, whereas anti-TNF-induced lupus (ATIL) is rare. ATIL can occur with any of the available TNF inhibitors, but the frequency and clinical characteristics of ATIL vary between different drugs. Cutaneous, renal and cerebral involvement as well as dsDNA antibodies are more common in ATIL compared to classical drug-induced lupus (DIL), suggesting different pathogenic mechanisms of ATIL and DIL. True ATIL must be clinically differentiated from mixed CTD, SLE or overlap syndromes unmasked, but not induced, by anti-TNF-alpha treatment of unclassified polyarthritis. The pathogenesis of ATIL is still unknown. Concomitant immunosuppression can reduce autoantibody formation in ATIL, and withdrawal of anti-TNF-alpha therapy usually leads to resolution of symptoms. Steroids and/or immunosuppressive therapy may be required in severe cases.
 ...
PMID:Anti-TNF-induced lupus. 1941 47


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 Next >>