© 2005 by BMJ Publishing Group Ltd & European League Against Rheumatism
CONCISE REPORT
Lupus erythematosus with leflunomide: induction or reactivation?
1 Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology and Hospices Civils de Lyon-bioMérieux Research Unit on Rheumatoid Arthritis, Hôpital Edouard Hérriot, Lyon, France
2 Department of Dermatology, Hôpital Edouard Hérriot, Lyon, France
Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Professor P Miossec
Clinical Immunology Unit, Departments of Immunology and Rheumatology, Hôpital Edouard Hérriot, 69437 Lyon Cedex 03, France; miossec{at}univ-lyon1.fr
Background: Leflunomide is a new oral disease modifying antirheumatic drug with a good safety profile.
Case report: The first case of lupus erythematosus in a 58 year old white woman after administration of leflunomide for primary Sjögren’s syndrome is reported. The relationship between induced lupus and leflunomide was confirmed by the resolution of the skin rash when the drug was stopped and its recurrence when it was reintroduced following a dose-response effect.
Discussion: Peripheral blood cells from this patient, from 15 patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and from healthy controls were used in a bioassay, which suggested that leflunomide affected the Th1/Th2 balance. Such a side effect might be related, in part, to the anti-tumour necrosis factor 
activity of leflunomide.
Abbreviations: ELISA, enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; ENA, extractable nuclear antigen; IFN
, interferon ; IL, interleukin; PBMC, peripheral blood mononuclear cells; RA, rheumatoid arthritis; TNF, tumour necrosis factor
Keywords: leflunomide; lupus; side effects; Th1/Th2 balance
CiteULike 
Complore 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us 
Digg 
Reddit 
Technorati What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
-
Martin, J., Ricart, J., Alcacer, J, Rausell, N, Arana, G
(2008). Adalimumab-induced lupus erythematosus. Lupus
17: 676-678
[Abstract] -
Marzano, A., Ramoni, S, Del Papa, N, Barbareschi, M, Alessi, E
(2008). Leflunomide-induced subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus with erythema multiforme-like lesions. Lupus
17: 329-331
[Abstract]
- Full Text
- Full Text (PDF)
- Submit a response
- Alert me when this article is cited
- Alert me when eLetters are posted
- Alert me if a correction is posted
- Citation Map
Services
- Email this link to a friend
- Similar articles in this journal
- Similar articles in PubMed
- Add article to my folders
- Download to citation manager
- Request Permissions
Citing Articles
Google Scholar
PubMed
Topic Collections
-
Immunology (including allergy)
-
Connective tissue disease
-
Degenerative joint disease
-
Musculoskeletal syndromes
- Rheumatoid arthritis
Bookmark with
Register for free content
The full back archive is now available for all BMJ Journals. Institutional subscribers may access the entire archive as part of their subscription. Personal subscribers will also have access to all content when logged in. Non-subscribers who register have free access to all articles published before 2006 right back to volume 1 issue 1. Register here to access the free archive of all BMJ Journals.
Don't forget to sign up for content alerts so you keep up to date with all the articles as they are published.
