Pathophysiology of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus p10
Other treatments that may be tried when
patients are not responding to medical treatment are stem cell transplant and
plasmapheresis.Plasmaphersis is the
process in which the patient’s plasma is removed and replaced with fresh frozen
plasma, thereby decreasing the number of antibodies within the body (Facts,
2005).In a study performed at Northwest
Memorial Hospital, they found that treating life or organ threatening lupus
through high dose chemotherapy coupled with stem cell replacement had a very
favorable outcome.First they harvest
the patients’ own stem cells and separate them.Then the chemotherapy wipes out the immune system, after that the
cleansed stem cells were returned to the bone marrow building a healthier
immune system (Life, 2006).
Complications
Systemic Lupus
Erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystem inflammatory autoimmune disorder.Because SLE can affect every body system,
complications of this disorder are numerous.The most common complications of SLE include cardiovascular disease,
coagulation disorders, and renal complications.Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) is a specific set of conditions related
to the presence of autoantibodies called lupus anticoagulant and
anticardiolipin (www.umm.edu).The
possible mechanisms for an anticardiolipin mediated disease such as SLE
include:interaction with platelets to
activate membrane phospholipids, thus initiating the coagulation cascade,
interference with endothelial release of prostacyclin (a prostaglandin produced
in the walls of blood vessels that act as a vasodilator and inhibits platelet
aggregation),interference with activation
of protein C on thrombomodulin, interference with antithrombin III activity,
and interference with endothelial release of plasminogen activator (http://medinfo.ufl.edu).
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