Adults with lupus are at increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease as compared to the general population. Increased levels of blood cholesterol can result in atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, which is itself a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Previous studies indicate that subclinical atherosclerosis may be present in children with lupus. Since atherosclerosis is now known to begin in childhood, even in healthy people, the risk of developing atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease has become a growing concern for the health of children with lupus. This study examined the safety and efficacy of atorvastatin (Lipitor®), a cholesterol-lowering drug, in children with lupus over a three-year period. The results suggest that lipid-lowering drugs like atorvastatin can safely and effectively reduce cholesterol levels in children with lupus. However, the effects of this treatment regimen do not warrant administration of lipid-lowering drugs to all children with lupus and future studies may indicate specific subpopulations that could benefit most.
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Showing posts with label research enewsletter. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research enewsletter. Show all posts
October 11, 2011
Video Game Can Reduce Fatigue in African-American Women With Lupus
From our latest research e-newsletter
Many people with lupus experience fatigue, which can disrupt normal daily activities. This fatigue is not necessarily due to use of medications for lupus or to inflammation. Much research indicates that appropriate exercise can be one of the most effective strategies to reduce fatigue. Wii Fit is an interactive video game system that connects to a television and allows users to participate in a variety of guided exercises. The researchers hoped to learn the effects of a 10-week, home-based exercise program, Wii Fit, on fatigue, emotional state, sleep, and pain in African-American women with lupus. This pilot study illustrates that a home-based Wii Fit exercise program is safe for use in people with lupus, and is adhered to fairly well. People with lupus should always consult a physician before beginning any regular exercise program.
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Many people with lupus experience fatigue, which can disrupt normal daily activities. This fatigue is not necessarily due to use of medications for lupus or to inflammation. Much research indicates that appropriate exercise can be one of the most effective strategies to reduce fatigue. Wii Fit is an interactive video game system that connects to a television and allows users to participate in a variety of guided exercises. The researchers hoped to learn the effects of a 10-week, home-based exercise program, Wii Fit, on fatigue, emotional state, sleep, and pain in African-American women with lupus. This pilot study illustrates that a home-based Wii Fit exercise program is safe for use in people with lupus, and is adhered to fairly well. People with lupus should always consult a physician before beginning any regular exercise program.
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October 05, 2011
New Experimental Molecule Neutralizes Lupus Autoantibodies
From our latest research e-newsletter
Humans and animals with lupus produce autoantibodies that can cause inflammation, as well as damage cells and organs of one’s own body. In particular, antibodies to double-stranded DNA contribute to organ damage. Researchers have long investigated the possibility of blocking the actions of lupus-related autoantibodies to reduce the extent of such damage. Typically, such research is first tested in animals to ensure efficacy and safety before being conducted in humans. Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have created a new experimental molecule to test its ability to inhibit lupus-related autoantibody attachment to ds-DNA isolated from mice, as well as to components of kidneys extracted from mice, and to living brain cells of mice. The results of these studies provide hope for the development of more specific, less toxic therapies for lupus. However, more animal research is needed before this molecule can be tested in living humans with lupus.
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Humans and animals with lupus produce autoantibodies that can cause inflammation, as well as damage cells and organs of one’s own body. In particular, antibodies to double-stranded DNA contribute to organ damage. Researchers have long investigated the possibility of blocking the actions of lupus-related autoantibodies to reduce the extent of such damage. Typically, such research is first tested in animals to ensure efficacy and safety before being conducted in humans. Researchers at The Feinstein Institute for Medical Research have created a new experimental molecule to test its ability to inhibit lupus-related autoantibody attachment to ds-DNA isolated from mice, as well as to components of kidneys extracted from mice, and to living brain cells of mice. The results of these studies provide hope for the development of more specific, less toxic therapies for lupus. However, more animal research is needed before this molecule can be tested in living humans with lupus.
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September 28, 2011
Lack of Cardiovascular Risk Assessment in a Canadian Population of Lupus Patients
People with lupus have an increased risk of heart disease and stroke due to premature hardening of the arteries. This increased risk is due in part to traditional risk factors and in part due to lupus-specific immune dysfunction. The researchers aimed to evaluate how effectively risk for heart disease was being assessed in a population of lupus patients being cared for in Alberta, Canada.
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September 13, 2011
Comparison of Lupus Nephritis Classifications of Two International Organizations
From our latest research e-newsletter
Kidney involvement occurs in about 60% of people with lupus and is a major determinant of long-term disease outcome. The World Health Organization (WHO) published multiple versions of their classifications for lupus nephritis from 1975-2001, but they had several limitations. In 2004, the International Society of Nephrology-Renal Pathology Society (ISN-RPS) revised the WHO classifications for lupus nephritis. The researchers aimed to determine the effects of the ISN-RPS re-classifications for lupus nephritis on patient outcomes.
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Kidney involvement occurs in about 60% of people with lupus and is a major determinant of long-term disease outcome. The World Health Organization (WHO) published multiple versions of their classifications for lupus nephritis from 1975-2001, but they had several limitations. In 2004, the International Society of Nephrology-Renal Pathology Society (ISN-RPS) revised the WHO classifications for lupus nephritis. The researchers aimed to determine the effects of the ISN-RPS re-classifications for lupus nephritis on patient outcomes.
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September 06, 2011
Women with Lupus Have Decreased Risk for Certain Cancers
From our latest research e-newsletter
Cancer risk in lupus is an important topic. Little attention has been focused on women's cancers, even though lupus affects mostly women. Up to now, there have been relatively few studies of the development of these cancers in women with lupus. In this study, the researchers aimed to estimate the risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers in women with lupus relative to that for the general population.
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Cancer risk in lupus is an important topic. Little attention has been focused on women's cancers, even though lupus affects mostly women. Up to now, there have been relatively few studies of the development of these cancers in women with lupus. In this study, the researchers aimed to estimate the risk of breast, endometrial, and ovarian cancers in women with lupus relative to that for the general population.
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August 09, 2011
Validation of a Self-Reported Questionnaire for Neuropsychiatric Lupus Events
From our latest research e-newsletter
The incidence of neuropsychiatric disease in people with lupus varies widely, from 21% to 95%, depending on the stringency of the criteria used. Regardless, it is recognized that the occurrence of neuropsychiatric disease is associated with reduced self-reported quality of life in people with lupus. The use of standardized measures of health-related quality of life associated with neuropsychiatric events in people with lupus has not yet been validated. The investigators sought to examine changes in health-related quality of life associated with clinical outcomes of neuropsychiatric events in people with lupus over the course of one year.
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April 28, 2011
Contraceptive Counseling and Use Among Women With Lupus
From our latest Research Update Newsletter:
Lupus is most common in women of reproductive age and, therefore, issues surrounding pregnancy and contraception are of importance to most lupus patients. Since it is best to plan pregnancy when lupus is adequately controlled, it is important that women with lupus have access to adequate methods of contraception. This study examined the value of contraceptive counseling for women with lupus. The researchers also hoped to learn whether contraceptive counseling had effects on the frequency of use of contraceptives among women with lupus.
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Lupus is most common in women of reproductive age and, therefore, issues surrounding pregnancy and contraception are of importance to most lupus patients. Since it is best to plan pregnancy when lupus is adequately controlled, it is important that women with lupus have access to adequate methods of contraception. This study examined the value of contraceptive counseling for women with lupus. The researchers also hoped to learn whether contraceptive counseling had effects on the frequency of use of contraceptives among women with lupus.
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February 24, 2011
A Validated Quality of Life Instrument for People with Lupus
From our latest Research Update Newsletter:
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is important to measure when new treatments are studied for lupus. There are a number of questionnaires that have been found to be helpful in determining how people with lupus are feeling and functioning in daily life. However, most of them were not developed specifically for lupus, considering the unique features of lupus in people’s lives. The LupusQoL was developed specifically for people with lupus. The LupusQoL-US questionnaire includes the following eight areas, or domains, of life that may be affected by lupus: Physical Health, Pain, Planning, Intimate Relationships, Burden to others, Emotional health, Body image, and Fatigue. Of the eight domains included in the LupusQoL-US, Fatigue and Physical Health were the most affected, followed by Pain, Planning, and Burden to others.
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Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is important to measure when new treatments are studied for lupus. There are a number of questionnaires that have been found to be helpful in determining how people with lupus are feeling and functioning in daily life. However, most of them were not developed specifically for lupus, considering the unique features of lupus in people’s lives. The LupusQoL was developed specifically for people with lupus. The LupusQoL-US questionnaire includes the following eight areas, or domains, of life that may be affected by lupus: Physical Health, Pain, Planning, Intimate Relationships, Burden to others, Emotional health, Body image, and Fatigue. Of the eight domains included in the LupusQoL-US, Fatigue and Physical Health were the most affected, followed by Pain, Planning, and Burden to others.
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February 07, 2011
Risk Factors for Heart Disease in People with Lupus
February is American Heart Month. Heart disease is a major complication of lupus and is now a leading cause of death among people with lupus. Today, I thought I'd share with you a research summary from a 2010 research eNewsletter about lupus and the heart.
Although it is known that people with lupus are at greater risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), very little is known about which people with lupus really are at risk and which are not. This study confirms certain “classic” risk factors for CHD like high cholesterol or blood pressure, smoking, and a family history of CHD, as well as some lupus-related characteristics (i.e., azathioprine treatment, high creatinine levels), which might increase CHD risk.
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Although it is known that people with lupus are at greater risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), very little is known about which people with lupus really are at risk and which are not. This study confirms certain “classic” risk factors for CHD like high cholesterol or blood pressure, smoking, and a family history of CHD, as well as some lupus-related characteristics (i.e., azathioprine treatment, high creatinine levels), which might increase CHD risk.
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January 26, 2011
Epratuzumab is Safe and Effective for Treatment of Lupus in Phase II Trials
From our latest Research Update Newsletter:
Epratuzumab is an investigational agent for the treatment of lupus. It is an antibody that binds to a protein called CD22 on B cells, which are white blood cells known to be hyperactive in many people with lupus. The researchers hoped to learn whether epratuzumab could be a safe and effective treatment for people with moderate-to-severe lupus. They also wanted to find the best way to give the treatment (which dose and how often to give it) to get the best possible effects.
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Epratuzumab is an investigational agent for the treatment of lupus. It is an antibody that binds to a protein called CD22 on B cells, which are white blood cells known to be hyperactive in many people with lupus. The researchers hoped to learn whether epratuzumab could be a safe and effective treatment for people with moderate-to-severe lupus. They also wanted to find the best way to give the treatment (which dose and how often to give it) to get the best possible effects.
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December 28, 2010
Use of Hydroxychloroquine Benefits Sugar Metabolism in Women With Lupus
From our latest Research Update Newsletter:
Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is in a class of drugs that was originally developed to treat malaria and has been considered to be a safe and effective treatment for mild lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since 1957. Low blood sugar is an occasional side effect of taking these anti-malarial drugs, but how this happens is not well understood. The researchers hoped to learn whether there are any tests that could predict low blood sugar in women with lupus taking hydroxychloroquine.
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Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) is in a class of drugs that was originally developed to treat malaria and has been considered to be a safe and effective treatment for mild lupus and rheumatoid arthritis (RA) since 1957. Low blood sugar is an occasional side effect of taking these anti-malarial drugs, but how this happens is not well understood. The researchers hoped to learn whether there are any tests that could predict low blood sugar in women with lupus taking hydroxychloroquine.
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December 02, 2010
Low Levels of Vitamin D Are Seen With Increased Lupus Disease Activity
From our latest Research Update Newsletter:
Low levels of vitamin D are associated with autoimmune illnesses, especially lupus. Vitamin D is activated by a chemical reaction made possible by exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet B rays. Since people with lupus may need to avoid sun exposure, this can increase the risk for vitamin D insufficiency. The researchers hoped to learn about the relationship between levels of vitamin D in the blood and lupus disease activity.
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Low levels of vitamin D are associated with autoimmune illnesses, especially lupus. Vitamin D is activated by a chemical reaction made possible by exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet B rays. Since people with lupus may need to avoid sun exposure, this can increase the risk for vitamin D insufficiency. The researchers hoped to learn about the relationship between levels of vitamin D in the blood and lupus disease activity.
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October 01, 2010
A Self-Assessed Lupus Organ Damage Instrument
From our research newsletter
When a person has a flare of lupus disease activity, the main goal of most treatments is to bring the inflammation under control. However, after the flare dies down, there may be some damage left, which is important to know about. By predicting the kind of damage that some people are more prone to, steps might be taken to prevent this damage. The researchers hoped to learn whether a lupus damage questionnaire, filled out by lupus patients instead of their doctors, would be accurate and/or useful.
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When a person has a flare of lupus disease activity, the main goal of most treatments is to bring the inflammation under control. However, after the flare dies down, there may be some damage left, which is important to know about. By predicting the kind of damage that some people are more prone to, steps might be taken to prevent this damage. The researchers hoped to learn whether a lupus damage questionnaire, filled out by lupus patients instead of their doctors, would be accurate and/or useful.
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September 03, 2010
Anti-malarial Drugs Decrease Risk of Blood Clots in People with Lupus
From our latest Research Update Newsletter:
Many study reports have suggested that people with lupus have an increased risk for blood clots, but the degree of this increased risk has varied widely across studies. In addition, previous studies have found that anti-malarial drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) may decrease the risk for blood clots, but the patients in these studies might have had different amounts of these treatments, or had differing severity of lupus for differing amounts of time. This could have led to confusion about whether it was the Plaquenil protecting these patients or some other factors. In this study, the researchers hoped to determine the risk of developing blood clots in people with lupus, while factoring in the year of diagnosis and disease severity.
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Many study reports have suggested that people with lupus have an increased risk for blood clots, but the degree of this increased risk has varied widely across studies. In addition, previous studies have found that anti-malarial drugs such as hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) may decrease the risk for blood clots, but the patients in these studies might have had different amounts of these treatments, or had differing severity of lupus for differing amounts of time. This could have led to confusion about whether it was the Plaquenil protecting these patients or some other factors. In this study, the researchers hoped to determine the risk of developing blood clots in people with lupus, while factoring in the year of diagnosis and disease severity.
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August 23, 2010
Hydroxycholoroquine May Protect Against Skin Involvement in Lupus
Many people with lupus develop skin rash early on in the course of their illness. This is especially true in people from minority populations, such as African-Americans and Hispanics. Anti-malarial drugs such as hydroxycholoroquine are not just used for skin involvement, but are widely prescribed for lupus patients due to their ability to reduce inflammation and delay the absorption of damaging ultraviolet light by the skin. In this study, researchers hoped to learn what factors have an impact on how much time it takes for a lupus patient to develop skin damage.
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July 21, 2010
An Exploration Study of Umbilical Cord Stem Cell Treatment in Lupus
In animal studies, stem cells taken from the umbilical cord (which connects the mother to the baby during pregnancy) have been found to help treat a variety of diseases, including lupus. However, umbilical cord stem cells have not been given to humans before. The researchers hoped to determine whether umbilical cord stem cells could be given safely to people with severe and treatment-resistant lupus, and whether this might help to treat lupus.
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April 05, 2010
Read the Latest in Lupus Research: Earlier Steroid Treatment In Pediatric Lupus Patients Is Related to Higher Risk of Bone Disease
Steroids are frequently used to treat moderate-to-severe lupus flares because they are highly effective and work quickly. However, steroids have many serious side effects, including potentially severe damage to joints or “osteonecrosis,” which is an interruption of the blood supply to the bone. The researchers hoped to learn whether starting steroids at a younger age is a risk factor for osteonecrosis. The results of this study suggest the possibility that steroids might contribute to a serious bone complication in some children with lupus.
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Get the details.
March 29, 2010
Read the Latest in Lupus Research: Low Level of Vitamin D Does Not Necessarily Result in Bone Disease in People With Lupus
People with lupus are advised to avoid the sun because the ultraviolet rays can trigger rashes. Some patients experience more widespread flares after sun exposure. However, sun avoidance leads to low levels of vitamin D in the body. Low levels of vitamin D are associated with thinning of the bones, or "osteoporosis." The researchers wanted to know about possible relationships between vitamin D levels in the blood, lupus treatments, and bone mineral density (BMD), a measurement of how thick bones are. The results of this study showed that people with lupus who are treated with steroids are at increased risk of having low levels of vitamin D. Although reduced levels of vitamin D are known to be directly linked to osteoporosis, this study did not show that connection.
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Get the details.
March 24, 2010
Read the Latest in Lupus Research: Urine May Help Track Kidney Disease and Predict Treatment Success in People With Lupus
Lupus nephritis (LN) -- inflammation of the kidney -- can damage the kidney’s ability to remove waste from the body. Currently, the best way to diagnose kidney inflammation is with a biopsy, an invasive procedure that can sometimes have serious side effects. Researchers have been working to develop specific tests that can be done on urine samples. The results of this study showed that levels of mRNA for FOXP3 could potentially become a test that can be done on simple urine samples to help figure out what is going on in the kidney and to help predict responses to current treatments for people with lupus.
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Get the details.
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