Lupus: The Next Big Focus for Researchers

3 June, 2019, by clincapture-client

Lupus is a long-term autoimmune disease which causes the body’s immune system to become hyperactive and attack healthy tissue. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, there are 5 million people currently living with this condition globally, with around 16,000 new cases each year. This disease primarily affects women between the ages of 15 to 44.

Symptoms of this disease, which include inflammation, swelling, and damage to the joints, skin, kidneys, blood, heart, and lungs, often come and go and can easily mimic other diseases. This makes diagnosing Lupus difficult and timely. Although there is no cure, an early diagnosis is critical to obtain necessary treatments and avoid irreversible organ damage.

Common Tests Currently Used to Diagnose Lupus

• Biomarkers – Biomarkers are antibodies, proteins, and other genetic material that provide insight into what is happening inside the body and how it responds to treatment. Although it can be difficult to find reliable biomarkers, they can help pinpoint which autoimmune disease, if any, is present.
• Blood Work – Blood work can tell if certain biomarkers are present.
• Urine Tests – Urine tests are used to assess and diagnose the effect Lupus has on kidneys.  
• Tissue Biopsies – Tissue biopsies obtain samples, primarily from skin or kidneys, to check for damage or inflammation.
• Imaging Tests – Imaging tests can also be utilized to check for further damage.
• Monitoring Tests – Ongoing testing is used to evaluate the effect of Lupus and the body’s response to treatment.

Why Researchers Should Focus on Lupus:

• Lupus affects a large portion of individuals (1.5 million individuals in the United States alone).
• Time is of the essence when diagnosing this disease. Untreated Lupus can cause irreversible organ damage.
• Treatments have proven to improve quality of life and extend lifespan of those who suffer from this disease. In the past, those with Lupus only survived for about five years post diagnosis.

The scientific community continues to make strides to learn more about genetics and hopes to one day be able to identify Lupus at the earliest stage, thus preventing complications before they occur. Clinical trials are a great way for those looking to access new treatments.

Are you running a study to further treatments or diagnosis for Lupus? Learn more about how ClinCapture can help you further your study with a suite of eClincal tools, including Electronic Data Capture (EDC) with Medical Coding, Randomization / Supply Management, eCOA/ePRO, Advanced Reporting & Analytics, and Advanced Integrations with CTMS. Request a demo here to get started.

About the author

ClinCapture provides a powerful eClinical platform that enables sponsors and CROs to rapidly build and deploy studies, lower clinical trials costs, and streamline data capture processes. Offering a host of Private Clinical Cloud® solutions, ClinCapture ’s technologies help advance the evaluation and development of drugs, biologics, and devices that demonstrate promise for the diagnosis and/or treatment of a wide range of diseases or medical conditions. For more information, please visit ClinCapture .com or follow us at @ClinCapture .