Triggers Of Lupus Disease Activity

How the COVID Vaccine and Lupus Interact is Important to Figure Out: Consider Joining this NIH Research Study The NIH is studying how the COVID vaccine and lupus interact. Please consider participating in this important research. You can also click …

  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 …

New research suggests itchy skin is a sign of active lupus. Most lupus experts also know this. However, many other doctors do not. That is why this research is so helpful. We do not want itchy lupus rashes to be …

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 …

Lupus and vitamin D in Women of Color. Why and what to do- “Ask Dr. T!” question of the week Vitamin D in women of color with lupus is an important problem. Women of color tend to have …

Do Flu Shots Cause Lupus Flares? Lupus flare after flu shot? Question of the day: Dr. Thomas, I have lupus and was told by another lupus patient that she gets a flare when she gets a flu shot. Do …

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 …

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Should We be Recommending the COVID-19 Vaccine for Lupus Patients?: Yes! What I tell my systemic lupus patients as of 12/18/20: 4:00 PM regarding getting a COVID-19 vaccine for lupus patients The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the …

LATEST UPDATE: A nicely done study by Melles RB et al, FEB 2023, Hydroxychloroquine Dose and Risk for Incident Retinopathy A Cohort Study, resulted in this nice quote: “our findings suggest that, under current screening recommendations and …

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)…

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 …

  Will a COVID Booster Vaccine for Lupus Patients Increase Response Rates? We do not know, yet. However, the August 12, 2021 edition of the New England Journal of Medicine reported significant responses in immunosuppressed organ transplant patients. This gives …

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:…

A potential new drug for lupus–​here are some early factsUPDATE: Anifrolumab (Saphnelo) was FDA-approved on August 2, 2021Saphnelo: The next FDA-approved drug to treat lupus Anifrolumab (Saphnelo) has the lupus community excited as the next …

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 …

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 …

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). …

Johns Hopkins Lupus Center Reviews: Could sunspots in 2025 lead to milder lupus? 2014 photo by NASA showing an 80,000 mile long sun spot (the length of 10 Earths side by side). Photo source Wikipedia Commons and NASA, Greenbelt, MD…

Some Immunosuppressant Drugs Cause Lower Antibody Levels after COVID Vaccine than do Other Drugs Home » Triggers Of Lupus Disease Activity A large study was published in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases showing antibody levels after COVID vaccine in patients …

If you are immunocompromised you should get a 5th COVID vaccine and Evusheld MoreThanLupus posted a Q and A. The answer is: The CDC now recommends that immunocompromised people should get a 5th COVID vaccine 4 months after your fourth …

The Autoimmune Protocol (AI protocol) is another term for the anti-inflammatory diet. The chart below was shown to help patients with the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis. Autoimmune Protocol (AI Protocol) used in 2020 rheumatoid arthritis study above The …

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…

Super spreader COVID-19: New study shows the answers in the Annals of Internal Medicine Wear a mask to protect others! Quick Summary of Important Findings of the super spreader COVID-19: Super spreader COVID-19 information: Most infected people do not transmit …

Research Article: Passive transfer of fibromyalgia symptoms from patients to mice Goebel A, Krock E, Gentry C, Israel MR, Jurczak A, Urbina CM, Sandor K, Vastani N, Maurer M, Cuhadar U, Sensi S, Nomura Y, Menezes J, Baharpoor A, Brieskorn …

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 …

The interactions of hepatitis C and systemic lupus is strange, and hepatitis C can mimic lupus … read on! Hepatitis C is a virus that can attack the liver (called hepatitis) as well as numerous other organs of the body. …

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 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 …

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 …

December 2022 update: Hydroxychloroquine is a disease-modifying agent for lupus (along with Benlysta). Antimalarial drugs can treat autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, Sjogren’s, and rheumatoid arthritis… ​ Here’s how! (described in easy to understand language) Malaria organism attaching …

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 …

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 …

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 …

CDC Study answers this question Please get your COVID-19 vaccine! We all would like life to go back to normal. The unvaccinated will be our major obstacle in reaching that goal. (and yes, that is my, and many others, unapologetic …

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 …

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 …

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 …

March 2023 Update on using Benlysta during pregnancy A March 2023 study found low B-cells at birth in the newborn baby of a woman who received Benlysta into the 3rd trimester… discussed below at this link. A research study …

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 …

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 …

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, …

UPDATE FEB 2023: Watch YouTube video about diagnosing lupus nephritis (LN) early, how it is diagnosed and what to do if you get LN. See the 1st video below with Dr. Donald Thomas, Aurinia, and Kaleidoscope Fighting Lupus video below…

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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, …

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 …

How to prevent and treat side effects from methotrexate: We have been using methotrexate to treat rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus since the 1990’s. It is generally a safe medication when used along with the other important …

Quick Advice Guaranteed to Help Most with Dry Itchy Skin: Stop using Dove and other soaps that say they are for dry skin. They are often not good enough for lupus and Sjogren’s Instead of those soaps, get CeraVe Cream…

Lupus and taking probiotics: Should you take probiotics if you have lupus, and what are the best probiotics for autoimmune disease? Lupus and taking probiotics: My answer in short: “No” to pills; “Yes” to probiotic and prebiotic-rich foods! Lupus Question …

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 …