Research Group Identifies Potential Therapeutic Target for Lupus

University of Michigan :Inhibiting IRE1α, a molecule activated by the endoplasmic reticulum in neutrophils, counters disease progression in lupus mice.
A recent study published in JCI found that a neutrophil’s endoplasmic reticulum, the organelle that normally makes proteins in the cell, becomes stressed in the autoimmune disorder lupus. This stress activates a molecule called IRE1α, which appears to play a critical role in lupus pathogenesis in mice.

Tofacitinib Shows Potential for Treating Lupus

NIH: A drug that effectively treats rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and can improve symptoms in other autoimmune diseases may also control the symptoms associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus) and potentially slow the disease’s progression, according to a study in mice conducted by researchers at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and published in the journal Arthritis and Rheumatology.

Autoimmune disease may be linked to heightened dementia risk

BMJ: Autoimmune disease may be linked to a heightened risk of dementia, indicates a large long term study, published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health. Although significant, the extent of the association found was small, caution the researchers. But the findings are consistent with the theory that Alzheimer’s disease may have an autoimmune component, they point out. It has been suggested that autoimmune and inflammatory activity may have a role in the development of dementia. In a bid to try and quantify this further, the researchers drew on hospital admissions data, including day cases, from 1998 to 2012 for England.

Breakthrough opens door to safer lupus drugs

Monash: A ground-breaking discovery by Monash University researchers could revolutionise treatments given to lupus sufferers, saving thousands of people each year from serious illness or death caused by secondary infections. Lupus is a vicious and widespread autoimmune disease that can attack any part of the body. It affects one in 1,000 Australians and 5 million people worldwide, and its victims are typically young women. Indigenous and Asian people suffer higher rates than other groups.

Dry mouth can reveal lingering health issues

Edmonton: Deborah Berry had visited numerous health-care professionals, but no one was able to accurately diagnose and treat the many lumps and cuts on the inside of her mouth. Berry, who suffers from systemic lupus erythematosus, eventually just accepted it as a possible side-effect of her health condition. But a visit to the oral pathology clinic in the University of Alberta’s School of Dentistry—the only one in Alberta—quickly changed all that. She had come to the general practice clinic for a teeth cleaning. But after a quick oral exam by her dental hygienist, Berry found her way to oral pathologists Ed Peters and clinical professor Seema Ganatra, and found the answers she’d been looking for. Berry was diagnosed with xerostomia, more commonly known as dry mouth. If left untreated, it can often lead to or be a sign of other lingering health problems. Dry mouth most often results from a decrease in saliva produced by the salivary glands in your mouth.

New project looks to end lupus 'trial and error'

Leeds University. UK: The University of Leeds is to be a key partner in a new £5.1 m project aimed at eliminating the ‘trial and error’ approach to the treatment of lupus. Systemic lupus erythematosus (also known as SLE or lupus) is a condition which affects around 16,000 people in the UK – 90 percent of these are women and it is particularly common amongst people of African, Indo-Asian and Chinese origin.  The disease often starts between the ages of 20 to 30, although children may be affected severely as well.

Cutaneous lupus erythematosus

Orphanet: Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) refers to the cutaneous localization of lupus erythematosus (LE) which is a chronic, autoimmune, inflammatory disease that presents a striking diversity of clinical patterns with variable evolution and prognosis. CLE occurs in 70-85% of all patients with LE.

Lupus

Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus) is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects women. It can produces many different symptoms that may also occur in other conditions. No single test can prove that a person does or does not have lupus. The diagnosis must be made by an internist or a rheumatologist, who specializes in autoimmune diseases. Although lupus can cause severe, life threatening illness, many patients can be treated successfully with medications to minimize their symptoms. Common symptoms include extreme fatigue, joint pain and swelling, muscle pain, unexplained fever, and skin rash.  Although several kinds of rash may develop on different parts of the body, a very characteristic facial rash called a “malar” or “butterfly” rash frequently occurs on the cheeks and across the nose.
More about Lupus

Lupus (in short)

• Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a clinically heterogeneous disease, which is autoimmune in origin and is characterized by the presence of autoantibodies directed against nuclear antigens. 
• It is a multi-system disease, and patients can present in vastly different ways. 
• Frequency varies with ethnicity, but is estimated to be about 1 per 1000 overall with a female to male ratio of 10:1. 
• The clinical heterogeneity of this disease mirrors its complex causes, which highlights the importance of genetic factors and individual susceptibility to environmental factors. 
• Lupus can affect every organ in the body. The most common manifestations include rash, arthritis and fatigue. 
• At the more severe end of the spectrum, lupus can cause nephritis, neurological problems, anaemia and thrombocytopaenia. 
• Over 90% of patients with lupus have positive anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA). Significant titres are accepted to be of 1:80 or greater. 
• Lupus is a relapsing and remitting disease, and treatment aims are threefold: managing acute periods of potentially life-threatening ill health, minimizing the risk of flares during periods of relative stability, and controlling the less life-threatening, but often incapacitating day to day symptoms. 
• Hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil) and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are used for milder disease; 
• corticosteroids and immunosuppressive therapies are generally reserved for major organ involvement;
• anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody is now used in patients with severe disease who has not responded to conventional treatments. 
• Despite enormous improvements in prognosis since the introduction of corticosteroids and immunosuppressive drugs, lupus continues to have a significant impact on the mortality and morbidity of those affected. 
• Authors:   Jessica J Manson and Anisur Rahman. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases

Systemic lupus erythematosus

Authors:   Jessica J Manson and Anisur Rahman. Orphanet Journal of Rare Diseases

Definition/Diagnostic criteria

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a  clinically heterogeneous disease which is autoimmune in origin, and characterized by the presence of autoantibodies directed against nuclear antigens. It is, by definition, a multi-system disease, and patients can present in vastly different ways.

Lupus

Author: David I. Daikh University of California San Francisco 2008-07-28

Lupus (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus): A systemic autoimmune disease Lupus is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects women. It can produces many different symptoms that may also occur in other conditions. No single test can prove that a person does or does not have lupus, thus the diagnosis frequently must be made by an internist or a rheumatologist, who specializes in autoimmune diseases. Although lupus can cause severe, life threatening illness, many patients can be treated successfully with medications to minimize their symptoms.