MyUSTINET News: Multi-Target Therapy Helps Lupus Patients

NANJING, China, July 3 (UPI) -- Chinese scientists say a treatment using several drugs targeting various parts of the immune system helps patients with severe lupus involving the kidneys.

SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS

"In our study, multitarget therapy is shown to be superior to traditional therapy for inducing complete remission of class V+IV lupus nephritis, with few side effects", said Dr. Lei-Shi Li of the University School of Medicine in Nanjing, China.

Lupus nephritis is inflammation of the kidneys occurring in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE. All patients had "class V+IV" disease, meaning widespread inflammation and decreasing kidney function.

The disease is traditionally treated with a single immunosuppressant drug, said Li, adding: "We considered that, since the impact of severe SLE on the kidney involves various parts of the immune system, it is necessary to treat the different immune targets with a combination of immunosuppressant drugs."

Patients receiving the immunosuppressant drugs tacrolimus and mycophenolate mofetil, plus a steroid, showed complete remission, with recovery of normal kidney function about four times higher than conventionally treated patients. "The complete remission rate reached 65 percent at nine months versus only 15 percent under traditional therapy", Li said.

The study appears in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Related News Topics:

	Print This Story
	Email This Story

BREAKING STORIES

Failed anxiety drug may fight cancer

Test could lead to better BSE detection

Universal flu vaccine tested on humans

Clues to treat brain cancer discovered

Cigarettes' attraction may not nicotine

Breakfast protein may help in weight loss

Nursing mothers with MRSA can be treated

Sexy Mendes billboard graces Times Square

Intensive care unit can traumatize kids

Coroner: Mysterious deaths were natural

Family fights over woman's life support

Quercetin, found in produce, fights flu

2.4 million smoking-linked cancers 1999/04

FDA approves hepatitis B viral DNA test

Scientists ID Ebola cell-invasion strategy

Antioxidant helps prevent 'chemobrain'

Height linked to prostate cancer growth

Multiple CT scans aid radio ablatation

Aggressive cancer survival predictor ID'd

FDA OKs Medtronic defibrillator upgrade