Response to hydroxychloroquine in Japanese patients with lupus-related skin disease using the cutaneous lupus erythematosus disease area and severity index (CLASI)
Modern Rheumatology, 05/16/2012
Yokogawa N et al. – CLASI is a reliable indicator to evaluate the efficacy of the drug, and Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is an effective treatment for Japanese patients with lupus–related skin disease.
Methods- Twenty–seven patients with lupus–related skin disease who started HCQ at four hospitals were included.
- Patients were categorized into responders by the CLASI response criteria.
- The points and the rate of improvement in the CLASI activity score after 16 weeks of treatment were analyzed, focusing on six parameters: systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), skin manifestations, disease duration, prednisolone, smoking, and severity.
- Twenty–seven patients, including 17 with SLE (6 with SLE/Sjögren’s syndrome), were analyzed retrospectively.
- Twenty–three patients (85 %) were categorized as responders.
- The mean CLASI activity score improved from 10.1 to 4.5 (p < 0.0001).
- The improvement rate did not differ in these parameters except for that of annular erythema (81.6 versus 34.3 %, p = 0.036).
- On multivariate analysis, the baseline CLASI activity score (CLASI ≥9) correlated with the greatest decrease in CLASI activity score (F = 69.7, p < 0.0001).
