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Diagnosing Neuropsychiatric SLE (5.23.2025)
Dr. Jack Cush reviews the news and journal reports from RheumNow.com - including views on the vagus nerve, NPSLE and CAR-T mania.
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Hydroxychloroquine for Everyone
Nearly 25 years ago, while lecturing on best therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), I loudly stated that hydroxychloroquine was “useless” and, deservedly, I was “boo-ed” off stage. My point then was that rheumatologists needed to be aggressive, https://t.co/qKnObzr5ib
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Does ADDING an #immunesuppressive
To
#belimumab in #SLE give more benefit?
❎
NO
#RWE from Spain suggests no added improvement adding IS to Belimumab
Should you switch Rx then? 🤷♀️
@RheumNow #LUPUS2025 poster110
#ClinicalPearl https://t.co/C3ydArMx7x
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
Treat to target 🎯 #SLE #recommendations
Considerations are nuanced and Impt
Lowest clinical disease activity is goal
Try for remission
🎯 Get patients off #glucocorticoids
If not ⬇️low dose #prednisone
@RheumNow #LUPUS2025 https://t.co/HlBeh2FLxP
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
Lupus Unlocked: Pregnancy & SLE
📅 May 27, 2025
6:00 PM CT | 7:00 PM ET | 4PM PT
Join us for our final Lupus Unlocked webinar this month on pregnancy and SLE. In this webinar, panelists will discuss issues such as congenital heart block, lupus nephritis treatment, teratogenic https://t.co/gouTN7uzCo
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
IL2 low dose in #SLE
seems to + alter immune regulation
Multiple targets to explore in #lupus
Unravelling pathophysiology in SLE
CD40L
TLR7,8
#rapamycin type drugs
CAR-T w novel CARS
Etc
#LUPUS2025
@RheumNow https://t.co/jeycgg4ZhT
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
We are not (yet) in #SLE
Getting
👇
Correct drug
In right pt
At right time
At correct individual dose
Even more problematic is in a renal bx - 2 glomeruli beside each other have v different cytokine expressions
Unravelling #LUPUS2025
@RheumNow https://t.co/yGBvhFkPKY
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
Here’s who flares in #SLE
least to most
Persistently neg antiDNA
Persistently + antiDNA
conversion of neg to + antiDNA
So are we over ordering antibodies in 1st 2 groups 🤷♀️
Unravelling #LUPUS2025
@RheumNow https://t.co/1Feau7f199
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
controversy re
👇
Monitoring for +Ro pregnant re
#congenital #heart #block
87% Y
echo is possibly too late
No ideas if flourinated #steroids work
But many thing we should do something
Guidelines differ on recommendations
Would fetal home HR be better
#LUPUS2025 @RheumNow https://t.co/MY0oPjLnGs
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
T2T in #SLE
Lots of #rheumatologists do NOT do a validated measure so #DORIS remission may be over estimated
But great algorithm for #lupus #Rx
@RheumNow
#LUPUS2025 https://t.co/mGoopRtK2F
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
Monitoring for #HCQ #retinal #toxicity
2 tests beyond visual fields are better than 1
OCT
Etc
But suggestion if low risk to do only every 5 yrs
I don’t agree as risk ⬆️ w disease duration
We do
Annual fields
and either
OCT or retinal photography
#LUPUS2025
@RheumNow https://t.co/TdPJ47jYEL
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
No Cancer Recurrence with Biologic DMARDs in RA
A prospective Danish rheumatoid arthritis (RA) registry study look at the risk of recurrence when a biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) was ued in patients with a a prior solid cancer (in remission) and https://t.co/T7G96cAlE6
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Tocilizumab vs. Methotrexate in Rheumatoid Arthritis
A large randomized rheumatoid arthritis (RA) clinical trial compared subcutaneous tocilizumab (TCZ) vs oral methotrexate (MTX) vs. the combination of subcutaneous TCZ and MTX, and showed that TCZ was superior to MTX, either https://t.co/AS8MJaujIE
Dr. John Cush RheumNow ( View Tweet)
Why follow antiDNA and complements in
#lupus #nephritis #LN
#LUPUS2025 panel said
To detect flare
?to consider after 3 to 5 yrs of remission to taper Rx
?but not for early response to Rx
Just info from the panel with my opinion salted in
@RheumNow https://t.co/bFUfN0PsFF
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
deep thoughts in #lupus
Is ‘better’ the enemy of #remission?
Is a complete renal response <50% at the end of contemporary #triple #therapy
Something to celebrate?
▶️Yes better than old #SoC but a bit sobering
We need RCTs that radically change paradigm
#LUPUS2025 @RheumNow
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
‘Oranges & green vegetables’
⬆️
#diarrhea in #MMF said Ana Malvar
bad #LN outcomes if #nonadherent
Good relationship with#HCP helps
#adherence
✅education to help deal with side effects
pts need to know
Why this Rx
?how long
S|E Rx
#ClinicalPearl
#LUPUS2025
@RheumNow https://t.co/RnFGwJSl1F
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
do’s & don’t #Lupus #nephritis
❎
Don’t sequential monotherapy
▶️ use #MMF + #biologic or #CNI
✅
Do a #biopsy
➡️ need to know
#dx
#px
Do target LOW proteinuria
Do treat comorbidities
Lipids
HTN
Fluids
BMI
?mood
No #NSAIDs
Do limit #pred
#SGLT2i
@RheumNow #LUPUS2025 https://t.co/D0vHQXYTvZ
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
‘It’s #Lupus, it’s all in your head!’
➡️ Some patients with #SLE have heard this from others
At #LUPUS2025 in a packed session on #CNS lupus
#Dx is tricky
40% of #neuropsychiatric lupus have NEGATIVE #brain #MRI
👇r/o
infarct/bleed
Infection
Rx #steroids
@RheumNow https://t.co/yU1olg0uZU
Links:
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
‘To screen or not’?
For
#CHB #congenital #heart #block
Great debate #LUPUS2025
In #pregnant women with #SLE
In + #Ro #SSA &/or #La #SSB mothers
CHB Rx - #flourinated #steroids
To
⬇️#fetal #mortality ❎no benefit
⬇️#cardiomyopathy ❎
⬇️#pacemaker ❎
@RheumNow
??🤷♀️ https://t.co/xauDzfNBsC
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
Level up 🆙
#hydroxychloroquine #levels in #SLE
When
to determine adherence - too low
To see if levels are supratherapeutic
Who
SLE Pts who have risks for #HCQ toxicity#CKD, liver dx, age, overdosing
Why
Safety
Adherence
@RheumNow #LUPUS2025 https://t.co/l8FPcqmTki
Janet Pope Janetbirdope ( View Tweet)
