ArticleLupus science & medicine2020
Corticosteroid dosing and opioid use are high in patients with SLE and remain elevated after belimumab initiation: a retrospective claims database analysis.
Article in Lupus science & medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- Reducing Glucocorticoid Burden in Lupus with Omega-3 Fatty Acids: Docosahexaenoic Acid Augments Prednisone Efficacy in Maintaining Cyclophosphamide-Induced Remission of Preclinical Lupus Nephritis.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2026Article
- Visualizing Real-World Pain Treatment Pathways in Chronic Disease: A Sequence-Based Analysis of Polypharmacy in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.ACR open rheumatology · 2025Article
- Validity of a claim-based algorithm for classifying disease activity levels using Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 in Korean patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Journal of rheumatic diseases · 2025Article
- Chronic preoperative steroid use and total shoulder arthroplasty: a propensity score matched analysis of early-onset infectious outcomes.Arthroplasty (London, England) · 2025Article
- Annual trends in pain management modalities in patients with newly diagnosed autoimmune rheumatic diseases in the USA from 2007 to 2021: an administrative claims-based study.The Lancet. Rheumatology · 2024Article
- A path to Glucocorticoid Stewardship: a critical review of clinical recommendations for the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus.Rheumatology (Oxford, England) · 2024Review
- Clinical and economic burden of organ damage among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in a real-world setting in Germany.BMC rheumatology · 2024Article
- The Problem of Pain in Rheumatology: Variations in Case Definitions Derived From Chronic Pain Phenotyping Algorithms Using Electronic Health Records.The Journal of rheumatology · 2024Article
- Predictors of flare-related inpatient or emergency department stay in systemic lupus erythematosus: A real-world analysis of Medicaid claims in the United States.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2024Article
- Clinical and economic characterization of mild, moderate, and severe systemic lupus erythematosus: Real-world observation across payer channels in the United States.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2023Article
- The Problem of Pain in the United States: A Population-Based Characterization of Biopsychosocial Correlates of High Impact Chronic Pain Using the National Health Interview Survey.The journal of pain · 2023Article
- Clinical and Economic Burden in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus During the First Year After Initiating Oral Corticosteroids: A Retrospective US Database Study.ACR open rheumatology · 2023Article
- Prolonged oral corticosteroid treatment in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: An evaluation of 12-month economic and clinical burden.Journal of managed care & specialty pharmacy · 2023Article
- Long-Term Opioid Therapy Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in the Community: A Lupus Midwest Network (LUMEN) Study.The Journal of rheumatology · 2023Article
- Evaluating disease control following belimumab treatment in patients with SLE enrolled in the US OBSErve study.Lupus science & medicine · 2022Observational
- Evaluating the Use of Glucocorticoids Among Belimumab-Treated Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Real-World Settings Using the Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness Registry.ACR open rheumatology · 2022Article
- Treatment Patterns and Clinical Characteristics of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Musculoskeletal Symptoms: A Retrospective, Observational Study.Advances in therapy · 2022Observational
- Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
objectivesTo investigate corticosteroid and opioid use among patients with SLE and to examine the impact of belimumab initiation on the use of other SLE therapies.
methodsWe identified adult patients with SLE (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision/10th Revision 710.0 and M32) between 1 January 2012 and 31 May 2018 (earliest SLE diagnosis=index date) within MarketScan administrative claims data. Patients were followed from index date for a minimum of 12 months and until the earlier of disenrolment in their health plan or study end (31 May 2018). Corticosteroid utilisation, corticosteroid dose (in prednisone equivalents) and opioid utilisation (overall, by strength (weak, strong) and by duration (chronic use defined as >90 days of cumulative drug supply)) were measured during follow-up. Oral corticosteroid and opioid use were compared in the 6 months before and after initiation of belimumab.
resultsThere were 49 413 patients with SLE eligible for analysis (mean (SD) age: 50.1 (14.0) years, 90.2% female). Of these, 68.5% received corticosteroids, and the average number of prescriptions was 4.59 (4.11) over the first 12 months of follow-up. Among patients with oral corticosteroids, average daily dose was 19.4 (14.2) mg and 59.6% had an average daily dose of ≥15 mg. Half (52.6%) had at least one opioid prescription and of these, 34.6% had chronic use over the first 12 months of follow-up. Among patients initiating belimumab during follow-up (n=1710), oral corticosteroid use decreased by 9.1% (p=0.001), and average daily dose decreased from 14.5 (18.4) mg to 11.9 (18.0) mg (p<0.001) in the 6 months after initiation compared with the 6 months prior. Initiation of belimumab had no impact on prevalence of opioid use.
conclusionsA high proportion of patients with SLE are treated with corticosteroids to control SLE and opioid therapy to manage chronic pain. While there was no change in opioid use, oral corticosteroid use and dose intensity decreased following initiation of belimumab.
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