Monitoring hydroxychloroquine blood levels may help predict thrombosis risk in SLE

Reuters Health - 08/01/2021 - Monitoring blood levels of hydroxychloroquine can help predict the risk of thrombosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a new study suggests. Among SLE patients receiving HCQ, low blood drug levels were associated with an increased risk for arterial and venous thrombosis events, researchers report in Arthritis and Rheumatism. "Hydroxychloroquine blood levels can be used to monitor adherence, benefits, and risks in lupus," lead author Dr. Michelle Petri of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, Maryland, said in a statement. In a longitudinal study, she and her colleagues serially quantified HCQ levels from whole blood in 739 patients with SLE. During 2,330 person-years of follow-up, 38 (5.1%) developed a blood clot, for an overall thrombosis event rate of 16.3 per 1,000 person-years. Average HCQ blood levels were lower in patients with than without thrombosis (720 vs. 935 ng/mL, P=0.0...

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Posted on 8 January, 202112 January, 2021