Dramatic efficacy of cyclophosphamide pulsed therapy combined with double-filtration plasmapheresis for treating severe massive pulmonary hemorrhage associated with systemic lupus erythematosus
T. Ito1, K. Inose1, S. Horie1, Y. Okubo1, R. Yoshida1, K. Nakazawa1, K. Nakada1
(1)Department of Internal Medicine, Saiseikai Utsunomiya Hospital, 911-1 Takebayashi, Utsunomiya 321-0974, Japan
Abstract Pulmonary hemorrhage (PH) is a rare but fatal complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a patient with SLE and a massive PH who was treated with double-filtration plasmapheresis synchronized with cyclophosphamide pulsed therapy. The patient showed dramatic improvement immediately and was followed for 3 years without recurrence. Prompt treatment during the acute phase of PH with this short-term intensive combination therapy may offer the best chance of success. There are few reports of long-term followup, especially in Japan.
