Episode 7 - Minimizing the Burden of SLE

During this segment, Michelle Petri, MD, MPH, explains how systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) burdens patients and can lead to disability under our country’s current standard of care.

Because SLE can be a life-threatening disease, as it presents in many different ways, Dr Petri concludes that the disease’s relapsing-remitting pattern can make the disease “unpredictable.”

Dr Petri explores the importance for preventive therapy and education to help improve survival. She further explains that Europe seems to be ahead of the United States in terms of treatment adherence and claims that as many as 40% of patients with lupus aren’t taking their anti-malarial therapy regularly even though the use of hydroxychloroquine can reduce flares, lupus nephritis, thrombosis, and, in 2 different studies, has been shown to improve survival.