Other Facts about DHEA and lupus – DHEA and lupus: DHEA stands for DeHydroEpiAndrosterone – It is produced by the adrenal glands – It is made from cholesterol (yes, cholesterol is a necessary …

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Lupus and Hepatitis B Addendum: The recommendations for hepatitis B vaccines changed in 2022. The CDC recommended that everyone, even those without risk factors, get a hepatitis B series if aged 19 to 59 years old. That is right! …

What is Evusheld? It is a treatment to prevent COVID-19 infections. It is not a vaccine. It is made up of two different monoclonal antibodies.Evusheld reduces COVID-19 infections by 83%.Evusheld begins to wane after about 6 months. Therefore, …

What is the anti-SSA test? What the lab technician sees under the microscope when testing a patient for anti-SSA antibodies. These are human epithelial cells to which blood was added from a patient who has anti-SSA antibodies, proving that that …

Lupus Question of The Day: Is Benlysta for mild lupus nephritis? Ask Dr. T question and shortened answer about Benlysta in lupus nephritis Question of the Day: “I have lupus nephritis and just heard that Benlysta has been approved …

Why do lupus patients need to give a clean catch urine sample every 3 months? Doing a clean catch urine sample wrong can cause false results Around 40% of systemic lupus erythematosus patients develop kidney inflammation (nephritis) and need to …

World-wide shortage of rheumatologists= getting worse. This is why it is getting harder to get an appointment with a rheumatologist. This NASA night view of the US looks very similar to the recent US map showing where rheumatologists are concentrated …

Hot off the press SEP 2020! The future is very bright for lupus treatments!         The future is brighter for lupus patients! Benlysta for lupus nephritis We have 3 drugs that are vying for FDA approval soon: Benlysta for lupus nephritis, …

Updated Part MARCH 2023: Ghalandari et al from the Netherlands reported their results of using Benlysta during pregnancy in the March edition of the journal Lupus. Benlysta During Pregnancy: Safe and Effective [UPDATE MARCH 2023] Can lupus patients get pregnant and …

Read on: learn how you to figure out your lupus disease activity And why it is important Why measuring lupus disease activity is so important Our goal in treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is to get it into remission and …

Dr. Donald Thomas Answers Lupus Patients’ Questions on His Living With Lupus Blog: The Lupus Encyclopedia Watch this YouTube video — patients’ important questions are answered about living with lupus Dr. Donald Thomas’ Lupus Encyclopedia is a practical “living with …

Read on to learn about newer tests that can help get a more accurate and faster diagnosis of lupus for a positive ANA workup         The Positive ANA Workup Begins the Journey     If someone is found to have a positive antinuclear …

Results from 64,900 vaccines: How often are allergies and itching after COVID vaccine? Hives (urticaria) photo credit: James Heilman, MD, Wikipedia, “Hives” ​Journal of the American Medical Association Research Study: March 2021 (reference and link to the study are at …

10 Reasons Not to Get a Flu Shot: The Flu Shot is a Life-Saver for Lupus Patients, Other Autoimmune Disease Patients, and … well… Everyone! It’s that time of year again. Time to get your flu shot! I already got …

I just realized that many websites discussing lupus and cancer are outdated, using old research information. So, I decided to write this article with up-to-date information. “Is lupus a type of cancer?” This is not an uncommon question when someone …

Mitochondria found to be abnormal in SLE patient by the NIH. Exercise repaired the mitochondria and energy levels improved: see Hasni et al, below February 2023 update: In 2022, the National Institutes of Health showed that exercise repairs mitochondria and …

Benlysta for children with lupus kidney inflammation (lupus nephritis): FDA-approved on July 26, 2022 This is a monumental breakthrough since children with systemic lupus tend to be sicker than adults. FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) approval of drugs for …

Which is better for lupus nephritis? ​Here is my answer! Which is better for lupus nephritis? Benlysta or Lupkyinis? … and the winner is… (read below) Updated 6/1/21: I included: – The specifics on the complete renal responses Benlysta vs …

  Note the impressively higher response rates in the blue bars (Lupkynis + mycophenolate + steroids) compared to pink (standard of care without Lupkynis). Impressive! This graph comes from the Lancet article referenced below. This is what pops up when you …

Can lupus cause tooth decay? Learn here to lower your risk of losing teeth from dry mouth! ​ Saliva production is very important in keeping bad bacteria away and keeping our teeth and gums healthy. There are things you can …

The aiSLE DX Flare Risk Index test The Lupus Foundation of America, in its continuous quest to advocate for better care of lupus patients, just announced a new laboratory test that can help people who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)…

Stopping Methotrexate for 1 Week as Effective as 2 Weeks after Flu shots [FEB 2023 Update) This was the study design of stopping MTX for either one week or two weeks after flu vaccines A February 2023 study shows that …

Lupus Lifestyle Changes are Important: Read here to learn about important dietary changes   Update in February 2023:      -Increasing the amount of selenium and zinc may be beneficial for lupus (see full discussion below above the image of tomatoes). Foods include:…

The Lupus Foundation of America wants to learn more about the difficulties in being diagnosed with lupus Click here to participate in the Lupus Foundation of America Survey: ​The survey is about your experience with being diagnosed with lupus…

A drug made from up to 100,000 healthy volunteers! Intravenous (IV) means getting a medicine delivered into your vein Intravenous Immune Globulin (IVIG) ​Immune globulins (also called immunoglobulins) are antibodies. A large number of antibodies given in IVIG may help …

IF YOU HAVE LUPUS OR ARE A CAREGIVER: Help current research on lupus by sharing your experiences with the Lupus Foundation of America by joining RAY (Research Accelerated by You) ​You can help with an easy online lupus research study!…

Some Immunosuppressant Drugs Cause Lower Antibody Levels after COVID Vaccine than do Other Drugs Home » Preventative Medicine A large study was published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases showing antibody levels after COVID vaccine in patients on immunosuppressants. These …

Multiple studies show that stress and trauma increase the risk of developing lupus as well as causing lupus flares. QUESTION: "New research is showing that childhood trauma may contribute to the development of lupus? I read a study where those …

Lupus and COVID vaccine: Dr. Thomas recommends not waiting to his patients, read below… Research regarding the COVID vaccine and lupus patients continues to be done. Should you wait to get yours? Dr. Thomas answer this question below: “I’ll tell …

Do you have lupus, then you absolutely want to learn about follow The Lupus Secrets so that you can learn practical tips for living with lupus? Do you know someone who has lupus? Are you a healthcare provider wanting to …

Knowing how lupus and vaccines interact is important since infections are one of the top two causes of death and vaccines are instrumental in preventing infections. Most people realize how incredibly painful shingles is. However, many don’t realize just how …

Research article shows that taking hydroxychloroquine decreases the risk of death by 83%: Impact of Antimalarial Adherence on Mortality Among Patients With Newly Diagnosed Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: A Population-Based Cohort Study Hoque MR, Aviña-Zubieta JA, De Vera MA, Qian Y, …

Revolutionary New Lab Test: Predicts if a lupus patient will have a systemic lupus erythematosus flare! A systemic lupus erythematosus flare can be devastating, interfere with quality of life, and can even cause organ damage. Imagine if they can be …

Centers for Disease Control 2022 Recommendations In February 2022, the CDC came out with its new vaccine recommendations. In this post, I will summarize the important changes for people who are immunosuppressed (such as people with systemic lupus erythematosus). …

It is amazing how the COVID-19 vaccine works (the mRNA vaccines, especially) It intrigues me how the COVID-19 vaccine works! How effective it is, and how safe it is. I got mine, #1, as of 12/29/20, and I got my …

Guest post: One method of coping with the struggles of lupus Living and coping with the challenges of lupus can be daunting. It creates challenges that are unpredictable. These challenges can include pain, fatigue, trouble sleeping, trouble concentrating, and many …

Lupus Nephritis Diagnosis in easy-to-understand language: FEB 2023 Update: See the 1st video below. It goes over the importance of diagnosing lupus nephritis as fast as possible, how it is diagnosed, what the symptoms of lupus nephritis are, what to …

Lupus by Lupus Warrior and Lupus Fighter Shanelle Gabrielle “​I still have a purpose … A reason to smile … I’m still living my life with no regrets.” ​You think you own me Squeezed my life in your palms Taken …

How to stop hair loss! – Yes! You can do things to help! And learn that much of the time… it is NOT due to lupus Learn more about hair loss from Don Thomas MD and the Lupus Foundation of …

Ask Dr. T Question about lupus diet and vegetarians Lupus and Vegetarian Diet? Eating a Vegetarian Diet can be Part of an Autoimmune Protocol (AI Protocol) There are studies showing that diets rich in omega-3 fatty acids may reduce lupus …

Proton pump inhibitor-induced subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus: Clinical characteristics and outcomes In this post we’ll cover subacute cutaneous lupus due to proton pump inhibitors (PPI-induced SCLE). Poh YJ, Alrashid A, Sangle SR, et al. Lupus. 2022;31(9):1078-1083. doi:10.1177/09612033221104237 Subacute cutaneous lupus …

What do the following have in common? LupusA drawing by a 3-year-oldJulian LennonFlowers and gardening suppliesAlice in WonderlandPink Floyd They all are woven into the story of the Beatles’ famous song: Lucy in the Sky …

Melatonin For Lupus: What does the Research Show?       (Updated August 2021) Why do people think that melatonin for lupus patients is unsafe? Many people think that melatonin for lupus and other autoimmune diseases is unsafe. I believe …

1st drug ever FDA-approved to treat lupus nephritis ​Historic mile-stone! ​ December 16, 2020: The FDA approved on Wednesday DEC 16, 2020…  Benlysta for lupus nephritis as the first drug ever FDA-approved to treat lupus nephritis (inflammation of the kidneys).…

  ​A gift for Christmas 2020, since I’m a 90-Day Fiancé fan. Angela wishes me a Merry Christmas and mentions my book. She looks great since her weight loss surgery and she must still be with Michael of Nigeria since …

A lupus patient at Kelli Roseta’s “More Than Lupus” asks the question ” … is it safe to receive Botox or filler injections if you have lupus?” Thanks for posting this, More Than Lupus. My answer regarding …

Lupus Nephritis Urine Samples: What They Tell Us A lupus nephritis urine sample is important for all SLE patients to give regularly. So, click on the video below to learn why giving a urine sample every 3 months is important …

Protect yourself from medical mistakes. Lupus Question of the day … It is not uncommon to ask, “can you have lupus with a negative ANA?” Dr. T responds to the question of “can you have lupus with a negative ANA?”:…

Research Shows More COVID-19 Deaths in Rheumatic Diseases: 10.5% of lupus and rheumatic disease patients died Much higher rate than infected people without rheumatic disease People with lupus and rheumatic diseases are at risk… ​What is the bottom line? What …