Alternative Therapy Sparks Hope for Patients with Lupus

A study on the treatment of lupus with Rituxan was conducted with a 49-year-old woman who had severe symptoms of the autoimmune disease like cranial nerve palsies, sensory loss and weakness in limbs, progressive cognitive impairment, worsened renal functions, multiple mononeuritis, brain damage and steroid-trigerrered Cushing syndrom. The severe neurological impairment reported is attributed to demyelination and the prescribed treatments encompassed a 3-day use of 500 mg of methylprednisolone (PRE) pulses and a subsequent use of 1 pulse of Cyclophosphamide 500 mg with 1 gram of Rituxan for 2 weeks.

The doses were followed by a maintenance therapy that included 25 mg methylprednisolone daily. The PRE doses were then reduced to a 7.5 mg per day over the space of 180 days and 1 g of mycophenolate mofetil per day. Results inferred from the study reveals progressive improvement in neurological dysfunction, and it also shows a near total resolution of the brain lesions after 365 days. The study concluded that the application of therapeutic strategy was successful in lowering inflammation, prevention of accrued damages, avoiding new relapses and lowered use of corticosteroids.