Long-term treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus with cyclosporin A

✍ Scribed by Domenico Caccavo; Bruno Laganà; Anna P. Mitterhofer; Giovanni M. Ferri; Antonella Afeltra; Antonio Amoroso; Lorenzo Bonomo

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 864 KB
• Volume: 40
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0004-3591
• DOI: 10.1002/art.1780400106

✦ Synopsis

Objective. To evaluate the efficacy of long-term treatment with cyclosporin A (CSA) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods. Thirty patients with SLE whose condition was either poorly responsive or unresponsive to treatment with steroids and/or cytotoxic drugs were enrolled in a prospective, nonrandomized study of CSA. Patients with hypertension or hypercreatinemia were excluded. Disease activity was evaluated according to the systemic lupus activity measure. Assessments were made prior to study entry and after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months.

Results. Twenty-seven patients completed at least 24 months of treatment with CSA. The mean disease activity score significantly decreased after 6 months of therapy (P < 0.01); this result was maintained throughout the study. A conspicuous steroid-sparing effect was observed following administration of CSA (P < 0.01).

Side effects included hypertrichosis

(63% of patients), paresthesias (23%), gastrointestinal symptoms (ZWo), gingival hyperplasia (17%), hypertension (lWo), tremors (7%), and nephrotoxicity (13%). No significant changes in serum creatinine levels were observed. Conclusion. CSA represents a helpful secondchoice treatment for patients with active SLE. Administration of CSA necessitates expert and careful followup of patients. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), particularly in its severe form, still represents a major therapeutic