MARYVILLE – There hasn’t been a lupus specific treatment developed in over 50 years. This is not surprising, since the highly complex autoimmune disease affects the approximately 1.5 million American patients on different levels and in different ways.
Recently Human Genome Sciences and GlaxoSmithKline announced positive results for clinical trials of the drug Benlysta (TM) after a 52-week study. It is hoped that further clinical trials will prove successful and the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA) spokesperson expressed hope that FDA approval might come before too very long.
Those taking the trials as opposed to those receiving placebos reportedly had improvements in overall disease activity including flare ups in one or more isolated organs. Patients were also able to reduce intake of steroids, which can cause complications such as high blood pressure, and osteoporosis.
Lupus, a connective tissue disease, may occur at any age, and affects more women than men. It may go into remission for years, then reoccur. There are two types: discoid, which primarily affects the skin, and systemic (SLE) which may affect any organ in the body. It can cause kidney failure, blood clots, hair loss, blindness (in rare cases), and other potentially fatal conditions.
It is also not uncommon for lupus patients to have other painful automimmune diseases such as fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, and osteoarthritis.
There is a local support group that helps patients as well as their families deal with the disease, and where important information such as symptoms, available treatments, and the latest news can be obtained. The email address is blountlupus@earthlink.net.
About Patricia Grames Pollock, News Courant Correspondent