Blood Levels Might Predict Response to and Compliance with Therapy in Patients with CLE

Monitoring hydroxychloroquine blood concentrations might improve management of refractory cutaneous lupus erythematosus.

Patients with cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) frequently receive oral hydroxychloroquine as first-line therapy. As many as one quarter of patients may be deemed antimalarial resistant. Some of these patients might be noncompliant with therapy, and others may have factors that impede their ability to absorb or metabolize the drug, including the currently controversial effects of tobacco smoking on antimalarial therapy.

These investigators prospectively measured hydroxychloroquine blood levels in 300 patients with chronic or subacute CLE. Of these patients, 160 had discoid lupus erythematosus, 86 had subacute CLE, 52 had lupus erythematosus tumidus, 26 had chilblain lupus, and 16 had lupus panniculitis; 38 patients had two or more associat…

Reviewing Author

Jeffrey P. Callen, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory board XOMA; Eli Lilly; Celgene

Equity Various trust accounts

Editorial boards JAMA Dermatology; UpToDate

Leadership positions in professional societies Association of Professors of Dermatology (President-Elect)