Drug Helps Manage Lupus

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Drug Helps Manage Lupus

-- Preidt

THURSDAY, Sept. 9 (HealthDayNews) -- The drug prasterone is a safe and

effective treatment for lupus, says a study in the September issue of

Arthritis & Rheumatism.

Prasterone is the pharmaceutical form of DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone), a

natural steroid hormone produced by the adrenal glands of both women and

men.

Lupus is a serous immune system disease that causes symptoms such as

fatigue, rash and arthritis. Women are nine times more likely than men to

have lupus. Researchers have found women with lupus have abnormalities in

the metabolism of two hormones -- androgen and estrogen.

This year-long, multi-center trial included 381 women with active lupus.

About half received 200 milligrams of prasterone a day while the other group

received the same daily dose of a placebo. Women in both groups were allowed

to continue their course of standard lupus medications.

The study found that 59 percent of the women in the prasterone group showed

improvement or stabilization of lupus symptoms, compared with 45 percent of

those in the placebo group.

" The high response rate in the placebo treatment group should be interpreted

in the context that this was not a true placebo-controlled trial, since most

patients were treated with standard (lupus) therapies during the study.

Thus, the statistically significant improvement in the prasterone group is

statistically and clinically meaningful, " study director Dr. A.

Petri, of s Hopkins University, said in a prepared statement.

More information

The Lupus Foundation of America has more about lupus