Treatment selection in the clinical practice of systemic lupus erythematosus: results from the Kyushu Collagen Disease Network for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (KCDN-SLE) registry

Objectives: This study aimed to describe the treatment selection for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) using data from the Kyushu Collagen Disease Network for SLE (KCDN-SLE) registry, a multicenter prospective registry in Japan.

Methods: This study used data from patients registered between August 2022 and November 2023. Clinical characteristics, purpose of agent initiation, other candidate agents, and short-term efficacy and safety were evaluated.

Results: We analyzed 69 previously treated patients with SLE (mean age 43.7 years; 62 females, 7 males). Hydroxychloroquine, biological agents, and immunosuppressive agents were initiated during the maintenance phase in 12, 41, and 16 patients, respectively. In patients with active organ involvement, hydroxychloroquine and biological agents were widely used for initiation. In those who already achieved treatment goals, biological agents alone were predominantly selected. The SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 score and prednisolone dose declined significantly over a 6-month follow-up period. Among 48 patients with active disease, 22 achieved a lupus low disease activity state, but this had no evident association with the initiation of a biological agent. In total, 14 adverse events, predominantly infections, were observed.

Conclusions: Biological agents were used preferentially, and the therapeutic agents were appropriately effective and mostly achieved the purpose of agent initiation.