Information

Lupus clinics

We run 9 lupus clinics a week, with referrals from throughout the United Kingdom. Our doctors, nurses and research fellows meet after each main clinic to discuss individual patient management and progress.

General clinic

These are run by Dr David D'Cruz, Dr Munther Khamashta and Dr Maria Cuadrado. Each clinic is staffed by the consultant and members of the lupus team.

Antiphospholipid clinic

This weekly clinic deals with patients with Antiphospholipid Syndrome (Hughes' Syndrome) or "sticky blood". This syndrome, presenting many different features from 'classical' lupus, is being much more commonly diagnosed and may well come to be even more common.

Attending this clinic is a consultant haematologist, Dr Beverley Hunt, who has extensive experience in blood clotting disorders.

Lupus pregnancy clinic

This twice weekly clinic, first set up in 1976 is the first of its kind in Europe, and has an international reputation. Run by Dr Munther Khamashta and a team of physicians and obstetricians, it monitors pregnant patients with lupus and Antiphospholipid syndrome.

Renal clinic

This combined clinic, run jointly by lupus doctors and nephrologists, incorporates regular renal biopsy pathology assessments.

Vasculitis clinic

One of the 'growing' diseases is vasculitis - a disease similar to lupus in which blood vessels become inflamed. Over the past 2 decades this disease has become increasingly diagnosed. This weekly clinic is run by Dr David D'Cruz who has an international reputation in this field.

Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic

This clinic is run by Dr David D'Cruz and Dr G Coghlan consultant cardiologist from the Royal Free Hospital. The clinic occurs every 2-3 months and assesses patients with increased blood pressure in the lung arteries.

"Research" clinic

This weekly clinic is tailored to those patients on 'newer' drugs where close monitoring is required. We are running a national trial in patients without thrombosis, comparing aspirin and warfarin, and many of the patients in this prospective survey will be monitored in this clinic.

Procedure clinic

A number of our patients require repeated intra-muscular or intravenous injections, such as 'pulse' Cyclophosphamide for renal lupus. We have found that devoting a weekly clinic to 'procedures', we can both monitor progress more effectively, and assess more promptly any problems, such as changing blood tests. This clinic, run jointly by a doctor and a lupus nurse, is one of our most successful. The so called 'St. Thomas' regime' (more moderate dosage of cyclophosphamide) has now been taken up throughout Europe as the preferred 'pulse' regime.

In-patients

The national shortage of hospital beds affects us severely. We often find that when we need to 'admit' a patient, the hospital is full. For this reason, the agreement of the hospital authorities to give us 2 "protected" beds was of great help. We can now 'plan' for example, the admission of a patient from Scotland or from the West of England without fear of the bed being 'occupied' on the day of admission.

Getting a referral to the St Thomas' Lupus Unit

To be seen at the St Thomas' Lupus Unit you will need to obtain a referral from your GP, which can be posted to:

Consultant Rheumatologist, Louise Coote Lupus Unit, Gassiott House, St Thomas' Hospital, London SE1 7EH.

You will then receive an appointment in the post.

Summary

Our goal is to run a comprehensive lupus service. Lupus is too complex a disease to be managed single-handedly by one GP or specialist. For example, many of our patients have no rheumatological problems whatsoever, their major problems being headaches, for example, or fatigue or skin problems.

We are not quite there yet, but, one day we hope to have a full time team dealing and concentrating fully on lupus and its related conditions.

Home > Information > Lupus clinics