Smokers With Common Autoimmune Disorder At Higher Risk For Skin Damage

As if there weren't enough reasons to stop smoking, a team of researchers at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) have just found another. A study led by Dr. Christian A Pineau, Co-Director of the Lupus and Vasculitis clinic at the MUHC, has clearly linked skin damage and rashes to smoking in people with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). more...

BENLYSTA™ Successful In Second Pivotal Clinical Trial

Human Genome Sciences (HGS) and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) announced positive results from BLISS-76, the second of two large-scale phase III clinical trials of BENLYSTA™ (belimumab) for treating systemic lupus. more...

Lupus Patients Who Receive Kidney Transplants Rarely Develop Lupus Nephritis

Individuals with a history of lupus who receive a kidney transplant rarely develop the serious inflammatory condition lupus nephritis in their new organ, according to a paper being presented at the American Society of Nephrology's 42nd Annual Meeting and Scientific Exposition in San Diego, CA. more....

Lupus Patients Perceive Benefit From Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Counseling Program

According to a new study by Hospital for Special Surgery investigators presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting on October 21 in Philadelphia, most lupus patients are not aware that their condition puts them at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and a counseling program is a valuable way to promote education and lifestyle change. more...

Cellular Mechanism That Causes Lupuslike Symptoms In Mice Identified By Stanford Study

Macrophages, the scavenger cells of the body's immune system, are responsible for disposing of dying cells. Stanford University School of Medicine researchers have identified one pathway in this important process in mice that, if disrupted, causes a lupuslike autoimmune disease. more...

The LFA Urges Key Stakeholders To Implement Report Recommendations

The Lewin Group, a national health care consulting firm, issued recommendations on ways to overcome the barriers that have obstructed lupus drug development resulting in no new drug approval for this disease in more than 50 years- since the Eisenhower Administration. more...

NEUROPSYCHIATRIC SYNDROMES COMMON WITH LUPUS AND SJOGREN SYNDROME

Neuropsychiatric involvement is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and primary Sjogren syndrome (PSS), according to findings in the October issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. The pattern of involvement, however, differs between the diseases. more...