This image shows a butterfly, the symbol for lupus (due to the typical “butterfly rash”), landing on the Y264H site of a flower grown from the protein structure of TLR7.- Jeroen Claus An international team of researchers has identified DNA mutations in a gene that senses viral RNA as a cause of the autoimmune disease lupus...
by Laurie Fickman, University of Houston Credit: CC0 Public Domain A globally renowned expert in autoimmune diseases and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) at the University of Houston has identified potential biomarkers for neuropsychiatric symptoms of lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks its own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and tissue...
by National University of Singapore, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the body’s own tissues, causing widespread inflammation and damage in the affected organs. It can affect the joints, skin, brain, lungs, kidneys, and blood vessels. Asian...
The autoimmune disease lupus may be triggered by a defective process in the development of red blood cells (RBCs), according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery could lead to new methods for classifying and treating patients with this disease. The researchers, who published their findings in Cell, found that in a...
by Laval University Credit: CC0 Public Domain Platelets may play a key role in the development of lupus, according to a study published today by researchers at Université Laval and CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Center. Extracellular DNA circulating in the blood of patients with lupus causes the inflammatory reaction associated with the disease. The researchers have shown that this DNA comes...
WILEY The US prevalence of the autoimmune disease lupus is 72.8 cases per 100,000 individuals, according to an analysis of population-based registries. The analysis, which is published in Arthritis & Rheumatology, found that the rate is 9 times higher for females than males (128.7 vs. 14.6 per 100,000), and it’s highest among American Indians/Alaska Natives and...
WILEY The antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine is frequently prescribed to treat symptoms of the autoimmune disease lupus. In addition to decreasing disease flares, the drug can also prevent blood clots, which are a major problem in individuals with lupus. A new study in Arthritis & Rheumatology shows that monitoring patients’ blood levels of hydroxychloroquine can predict their clotting...
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY ATLANTA — New research shows that adults with systemic lupus erythematosus, who receive trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX), a prophylactic therapy to help prevent pneumocystis pneumonia, are at high risk for adverse reactions to the drug, particularly if they are also positive for anti-Smith (anti-Sm) antibodies. Details of the study was presented at ACR...
AMERICAN COLLEGE OF RHEUMATOLOGY ATLANTA — New research reveals that, in the U.S., Black patients with lupus have a threefold higher risk of stroke and a 24-fold higher risk of ischemic heart disease. The study also found several lupus-specific symptoms that predict stroke and IHD in these patients. Details of the study was presented at ACR Convergence,...
by Emory University SARS-CoV-2 (shown here in an electron microscopy image). In severe cases of COVID-19, Emory researchers have been observing an exuberant activation of immune cells, resembling acute flares of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), an autoimmune disease. Their findings point towards tests that could separate some COVID-19 patients who need immune-calming therapies from others who may not....
