from Dr. Emily Gillespie

Fortunately, many researchers have ideas about where to look for answers, because we know that Benlysta works by reining in a type of immune cells called B cells.  B cells play an important role in the normal immune response, but when inappropriately activated in a lupus patient, they produce harmful elements that cause the damaging effects seen in SLE.  Researchers think that measuring these may provide clues to help us determine whether an individual patient is likely ...

from Dr. Emily Gillespie

We finally get to ask that question about lupus, after the FDA approved Benlysta, the first new drug approved for SLE in over 50 years, in March 2011. 

Patients and researchers alike are asking questions …  Who needs to take this drug?  How is it different from the medicines that doctors were already using?  How do we know it’s going to work? How do we know that it’s going to work better than those other medications?

from Dr. Emily Gillespie

There is a recent (within the past year) article from Mayo Clinic that I’ve attached here, that I think addresses some questions about the incidence of lupus in Minnesota.  It is focused on the overall lifetime risk for development of autoimmune diseases, including SLE.

“The Lifetime Risk of Adult-Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis and Other Inflammatory Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases”

Article published in:
Arthritis & Rheumatism
Vol. 63, No. 3
March 2011

I have been researching lupus for over 10 years and enjoy the challenge of trying to understand such a complicated disease. I specifically study markers in the blood that I hope will help physicians and patients better understand and manage their disease.  I am passionate about my work, hoping that it will lead to a better life for people with lupus.  My lab developed a blood test that shows promise for predicting lupus flares. This technology was recently licensed to ...

Hello!  My name is Anne and I have lupus.  I can finally say that sentence eight  years after I was diagnosed and not cry or feel ashamed.  I say it with a smile on my face and pride in my eyes because without having lupus, I would not be where I am today.  Having lupus has given me inner strength I never knew I had. It has given me faith in God I never before believed, ...

When you say the word “steroids,” to someone, they often think of bodybuilders, big muscles or football players. However when you say the word “steroids” to someone with lupus, they think sleepless nights, puffy faces and weight gain. It’s pretty obvious steroids have undesirable side effects; unfortunately, they’re often the first line of defense to reduce lupus symptoms. I had a love-hate relationship with prednisone. I loved that it reduced my lupus symptoms, hated the side ...