UK Research
Lupus News
Genetic variations in the complement system — a part of the immune response — contribute to differences between men and women in their susceptibility to Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus, and schizophrenia, according to a study.
Ground-breaking research solves the 50-year-old question why some diseases exhibit a sex bias, hitting harder or eliciting different symptoms in men or women.
There is a national trial in progress called RECOVERY which has four treatment arms, one of which is Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ). . St Thomas’ is recruiting patients and the study is being coordinated by infectious disease, respiratory medicine and critical care consultants. The UK chief investigator is based in Oxford.
When there is an excessive number or hyperactivation of immune cells, very high levels of proteins known as cytokines are released, resulting in a cytokine storm that causes severe and often irreversible tissue damage. This accounts for the crippling nature of many autoimmune disorders such as lupus.
Two variants of an autoimmune disease that affects thousands but is hard to diagnose are relatively common among black Africans, research shows.
The findings, relating to systemic lupus erythematosus, or SLE, could improve diagnosis and treatment of the condition.
They could enable better management of the disease in patients of African descent, particularly in southern Africa, where incidence and mortality rates are relatively high.
