Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Rituximab intervention in management of thrombocytopenia in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: A single centre experience
Authors' conclusion
RTX demonstrates efficacy and safety for SLE patients with thrombocytopenia unresponsive to conventional treatments, offering a potential alternative, and reducing reliance on GCs and IVIG.
Study context
- Population
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with thrombocytopenia unresponsive to conventional treatments, single centre, 2016–202321 females · 5 males
- Participants
- 26 patients
- Outcome
- Complete remission (CR) of thrombocytopenia
Methodological detailssingle-centre
- Single-centre
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Complete remission (CR) achieved
18 patients
69.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
CR during initial treatment cycle
- CR in initial cycle
- 10 (38.5%)
Partial remission and refractory
- Partial remission (PR)
- 4
- Remained refractory
- 4
Number of rituximab (RTX) cycles administered
- Median cycles (IQR: 2-6)
- 2.50
Number of cycles needed to achieve CR during follow-up
- Median cycles to CR (IQR: 1-3.5)
- 1.5
Glucocorticoid (GC) need after RTX
- Patients receiving prednisolone >5 mg afterward
- 7.7%
Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) need after RTX · 6 months
- Patients requiring IVIG after 6 months of RTX (p < 0.046)
- 19.2%
Median platelet count
- Significantly increased after RTX (p < 0.001)
Incidence of bleeding · 6 months
- Before RTX
- 76.9%
- After 6 months of RTX
- 34.6%
- None classified as life-threatening
Safety
| Outcome | Values |
|---|---|
| HypogammaglobulinemiaNo other side effects observed | RTX 3.8% |
Original publication
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