Ten Contemporary Challenges Facing Lupus Treatment Save

A group of French researchers have pooled their interests to identify the challenges ahead in the management of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). 

This introspective review puts forth the authors’ perceptions of the 10 most important contemporary challenges in the management of SLE. The paper represents the roundtable consensus of a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, pharmacists and researchers from a national centre for rare autoimmune and systemic diseases (Strasbourg, France).

The 10 main contemporary challenges in SLE include: 

• T2T: favouring disease remission (or low disease activity).
• Limiting the use of glucocorticoids.
• Deriving more comprehensive tools for the evaluation of disease activity.
• Developing more effective (and better tolerated) drugs (and more successful trials).
• Dissecting the heterogeneity of the disease at the molecular and genetic levels.
• Identifying relevant biomarkers for individualised treatment.
• Managing fertility and pregnancy.
• Managing comorbidities(e.g., cardiovascular risk, infections, osteoporosis).
• Improving the network of care (the patients’ perspective).
• Favouring a holistic approach (integrating fatigue, adherence to treatment, physical activity).

These 10 contemporary challenges in SLE may be considered as a roadmap for those involved in the daily care of patients with SLE, as well as for researchers who may wish to contribute to an improved management of this rare and complex disease.