Successful treatment of lupus protein-losing enteropathy with belimumab: A case report

Marenori Kojima; Hironari Hanaoka; Kaito Aoki; Hiromi Matsushita; Hiroshi Ito; Hidehiro Yamada

doi:10.1093/mrcr/rxae010

Successful treatment of lupus protein-losing enteropathy with belimumab: A case report

Mod Rheumatol Case Rep. 2024 Feb 28:rxae010. doi: 10.1093/mrcr/rxae010. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Marenori Kojima¹, Hironari Hanaoka², Kaito Aoki¹, Hiromi Matsushita¹, Hiroshi Ito¹, Hidehiro Yamada¹

Affiliations

¹ Division of Rheumatology, Center for Rheumatic Diseases, Seirei Yokohama Hospital, Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Keio University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.

PMID: 38430528
DOI: 10.1093/mrcr/rxae010

Abstract

Lupus protein-losing enteropathy (LUPLE) is a rare condition in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Since the causes and exact pathological mechanism have not been elucidated, appropriate treatment has not been determined. Here, we report the case of a 69-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus who developed LUPLE which was successfully treated with belimumab without an increase in glucocorticoid dose. This case suggests that belimumab monotherapy may be a treatment option for LUPLE.

Keywords: Systemic lupus erythematosus; belimumab; protein-losing enteropathy.