Rituximab, which is currently being used to treat cancer, is also effective in treating patients with lupus and suffering from complications of the central nervous system, as per rheumatologists at the Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in Vienna, Austria.
Lupus is a disorder of the body’s immune system in which the body attacks itself leading to pain, inflammation, and diffuse damage to the body organs. Medical studies have strongly suggested that lupus can significantly reduce quality of life of patients to add to their misery.
From News-Medical.Net:
Professor Neuwelt specialises in diagnosing and treating patients with CNS lupus. “It can be difficult to disentangle psychiatric disorders that arise from other causes,” he states. In a portion of patients, depression, seizures, verbal comprehension, perception and memory will be associated with lupus. People are understandably afraid to admit that their IQ has gone down or that they cannot read any more in fear of losing their job,” he continued. A careful history, ruling out other causes such as infection and drug side effects has improved diagnostic accuracy.
Professor Neuwelt, like others using this well-tested oncological drug in other forms of lupus, is concerned about the depletion of the B cells by rituximab for the long term. However, the risk/benefit ratio from this new treatment in its early stages is extremely promising. “It is the first drug in my 26 years of treating patients with severe central nervous system lupus, used alone or in combination with other therapies that has not only significantly boosted the quality of life for patients with this dreadful disease, but also reduced the burden of side effects of standard treatment with steroids and cyclophosphamide. However, we desperately need randomized-controlled trials.” he concluded.
Professor Neuwelt remarked that Rituximab tends to very effective and can be easily described as a gentler form of treatment whose effects can last for as long as six months with a low risk of developing any side effects.
