Prolonged Remission in Lupus is Rare

Newswise — Prolonged remission, that is, no evidence of disease activity or treatment for at least five consecutive years, is rare in patients with lupus, according to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Orlando, Florida.

A study of 704 patients with lupus was undertaken to determine the likelihood of prolonged remission in lupus and to assess what, if any, shared characteristics or features could be identified among patients in sustained remission. Study participants were drawn from the University of Toronto Lupus Clinic Database of patients registered between 1970 and 1997, who were followed at the Clinic at least every 18 months. Of these, 12 patients achieved prolonged remission. Investigators looked at the entire study population at the time of disease presentation to the Clinic, and there were no statistically significant differences between the 12 patients with prolonged remission and the rest of the group. The only statistically significant differences between the prolonged remission group and the remainder of the study population were that at any time leading up to the period of remission, those patients in prolonged remission were less likely to have been on corticosteroid or immunosuppressant therapy, to be anti dsDNA antibody positive (a blood test which indicates the presence of active lupus) and in addition, they had a lower level of disease activity over time.

Systemic lupus erythematosus, often referred to as SLE or lupus, is a chronic inflammatory disorder resulting from an abnormality of the immune system, which normally functions to protect the body against cancers and invading infections. In SLE, the immune system is over-active and produces too many abnormal antibodies that react with the patient's own tissues. The exact cause of lupus is not known, but heredity, environment and hormonal changes may be involved. Lupus affects 1.4 million Americans, and most of them are women.

"Although we have made great strides in prolonging survival in patients with SLE, very few patients have a prolonged period of being disease and treatment free," said Murray Urowitz, MD, Director, Centre for Prognosis Studies in The Rheumatic Diseases, Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto Western Hospital, and an investigator in the study. "Thus we achieve disease suppression rather than disease remission. Therefore with current therapies continued vigilance for disease recurrence is necessary."

The American College of Rheumatology is the professional organization for rheumatologists and health professionals who share a dedication to healing, preventing disability and curing arthritis and related rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. For more information on the ACR's annual meeting, see http://www.rheumatology.org/annual.