Rheumatology Medical News about Lupus nephritis, infliximab, TNF

Become a Member Today!
Register

Most Viewed Abstracts

1. Report Shows Shift in Starting Salaries for Physicians

2. Rapid correction of low vitamin D status in nursing home residents

3. 2008 Exclusive Survey—Earnings: Good news for primary care income

4. Medicare pay-for-reporting effort draws fire from frustrated doctors

5. Allopurinol-induced recurrent dress syndrome: Pathophysiology and treatment

Your Article Summary

See Latest Articles

(Click the title below to leave the MDLinx Network and go to the Journal's Website)

Anti-tumor necrosis factor therapy in patients with difficult-to-treat lupus nephritis: A prospective series of nine patients
Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology Online, 07/30/09

Matsumura R et al. – Study demonstrates that in intractable lupus nephritis, anti-TNF-α therapy improved urinary protein levels and SLE activity. Although adverse events must be monitored cautiously, it may be possible to use anti-TNF-α therapy as a third-line treatment.

Methods

An investigation of the efficacy and safety of anti-TNF-α therapy for intractable lupus nephritis
9 pts with systemic erythematosus who presented with lupus nephritis resistant to steroids and immunosuppressants
200 mg/body of infliximab was drip-infused three times
No changes to other treatments for 3 mo after the start of anti-TNF-α therapy
Urinary findings, renal function, serum complement, anti-DNA antibody, SLE activity, and AEs were examined for 6 mo after the start of therapy

Results

1/9 pts developed pyelonephritis after the first infliximab injection and received no further injections
Remaining 8 pts received 3 infliximab injections
Of the 8 pts, urinary protein decreased after anti-TNF-α therapy in 6 pts; SLEDAI improved in 5 pts
Urinary findings and/or SLE activity improved in 5 pts
Of the pts whose urinary protein levels decreased after anti-TNF-α therapy, proteinuria recurred 6 mo after therapy in 1 patient
After anti-TNF-α therapy, proteinuria and the SLEDAI improved
Therapy related adverse events:
- Therapy was discontinued in 1 pt who developed pyelonephritis
- 1 pt developed decreased blood pressure due to infusion reactions
- In 1 patient in whom the steroid dosage was increased due to poor response to anti-TNF-α therapy, brainstem infarction occurred 4 mo later
- In 1 pt, anti-DNA Ab levels increased after therapy
  but none of the pts had decreased serum complement levels or increased SLE activity