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Patients with SLE who respond to treatment at 3 months may be more likely to improve at 6 months
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Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus who improved after 3 months of treatment were more likely to show continued improvement at 6 months, according to research presented at the Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Meeting.
Eighty-seven patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and mean Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) scores of 8.9 were enrolled. Ninety percent of the patients were women. Patients had a mean age of 40 years at time of diagnosis and were treated at the University Health System, University of Toronto, between 2012 and 2014. Participants also met at least one of five SLEDAI-2K criteria and had active organ involvement, including vascular, renal, musculoskeletal, serosal or skin but excluding the central nervous system. All patients began or increased the use of prednisone and/or immunosuppressant therapy and were followed for signals of improvement based on decreased SLEDAI-2K scores at 3 months and 6 months.
A SLEDAI-2K signal was seen in 54 patients (62%), and a SLEDAI-2K Responder Index 50 (S2K RI-50) was seen in 11 patients (33%) who did not show a SLEDAI-2K signal. After 6 months of treatment, 57% of the patients who had a SLEDAI-2K signal showed continued improvement, and 54% of patients who had S2K RI-50 also improved. The S2K RI-50 may be predictive of which patients will respond at 6 months but did not respond at 3 months, the researchers concluded. – by Shirley Pulawski
Reference:
Touma Z, et al. Paper #115. Presented at: Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Meeting; Feb. 4-7, 2015; Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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