Mycophenolate Is Superior To Azathioprine As Treatment For Lupus Nephritis
Posted Nov 16 2011 8:31pm
A new large, international study finds that the immunosuppressant drug mycophenolate mofetil is superior to azathioprine, an older immunosuppressant, as a maintenance therapy for lupus nephritis.
“This is a huge step forward for people who suffer from lupus nephritis,” said Mary Anne Dooley, MD, MPH, associate professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and first author of the study, which is published in the Nov. 17, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease of the immune system. Lupus nephritis may cause weight gain, high blood pressure, dark urine, or swelling around the eyes, legs, ankles, or fingers. In some patients the inflammation may be severe enough to cause kidney failure. However, some people with SLE have no symptoms of kidney disease.
“This is a huge step forward for people who suffer from lupus nephritis,” said Mary Anne Dooley, MD, MPH, associate professor in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and first author of the study, which is published in the Nov. 17, 2011 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Lupus nephritis is an inflammation of the kidney caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a disease of the immune system. Lupus nephritis may cause weight gain, high blood pressure, dark urine, or swelling around the eyes, legs, ankles, or fingers. In some patients the inflammation may be severe enough to cause kidney failure. However, some people with SLE have no symptoms of kidney disease.