Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research Paper

Natalie Rauschenbach

Lupus Nephritis
Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus is the most common form of lupus ranges from mild to severe. Lupus is an autoimmune disease which means the person’s immune system cannot tell the difference of healthy tissue and infected tissue. This issue confuses the body and instead of creating antibodies to destroy the damaged/infected tissue and the body destroys the person’s healthy tissue. The study of focus determines whether current treatments for lupus are still valid including “corticosteroids, other immunosuppressive drugs, such as azathioprine and cyclophosphamide, and adjunctive therapies, including dialysis and renal transplantation” (Leandro et al.). The other goal of this study was to find
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease which means there is a problem with the body 's immune system. Normally, the immune system helps protect the body from harmful substances. But in patients with an autoimmune disease, the immune system cannot tell the difference between harmful substances and healthy ones. As a result, the immune system attacks otherwise healthy cells and tissue. SLE may damage different parts of the kidney, leading to interstitial nephritisinterstitial nephritis, and nephrotic syndromenephrotic syndromemembranous GN. SLE has a different name when it involves the inflammation of the kidneys, Lupus Nephritis. Since lupus nephritis involves is the inflammation of the kidneys, it affects the kidney’s ability to filter the waste from the blood and can be so damaging that a kidney transplant would be needed. Also, the inflammation of the kidneys can cause “an increase in blood pressure, inflammation of the nervous system and the brain, which can cause memory problems, confusion, headaches and strokes”(Lupus foundation). If these damages continue, it may rapidly worsen to kidney failure. Lupus nephritis affects approximately 3 out of every 10,000 people (Lupus foundation). In children with SLE, about half will have some form or degree of kidney involvement (Lupus Foundation). More than half of patients have not had other symptoms of SLE when they
However, two studies have shown that by depleting a certain cell directly linked to lupus, one can drastically improve their condition. In the first study conducted by Leanardo, Cambridge, Edwards, Ehrenstein, and Isenberg (2005), they depleted B-cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. These researchers depleted the B lypmphocytes in individuals by using rituxumab, an antibody that is effective in depleting normal and malignant B lymphocytes. Researchers initially began using rituxumab for rheumatoid arthritis which mainly inflames the joints in mainly elderly individuals. Since lupus involves the inflammation of the kidneys, researchers sought to discover whether rituxumab would reduce inflammation involved with lupus. In the first study, twenty-four patients were treated with an average age being 28.9 years and the mean disease duration was 7.8 years (Leandro et al). The patients were divided into groups and each group received a different dosage of rituxumab. In the end, the B-cell depletion in all the groups occurred and the researchers claim that B-cell depletion may be a very useful addition to the range of therapies available for patients with very active lupus (Leandro et al).
The second study was conducted by Chan, Madaio, and Shlomchik (1999) using the same methods of curing lupus; however, the study used animals instead of humans. Although they used