SynthesisPloS one2025
Does hydroxychloroquine reduce the risk of infection in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus? a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 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
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- An explainable machine learning model for predicting in-hospital infection in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Renal failure · 2026Article
- Updates on the Evaluation of Lupus Arthritis.Rheumatology and therapy · 2026Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesThis study aimed to investigate the anti-infective utility of hydroxychloroquine in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) by analyzing published case-control and cohort studies.
methodsA systematic literature review was conducted on January 28, 2024, using PubMed, Cochrane, Embase, and Web of Science Core Collection databases. Odds ratios (OR) were used for statistical analysis.
resultsHydroxychloroquine exhibits a propensity to diminish infection risk in systemic lupus erythematosus patients, albeit without statistical significance (OR = 0.77, 95%CI 0.51-1.18, p = 0.23). Subgroup analyses revealed a significant prevention of serious infections (OR = 0.40, 95%CI 0.25-0.64, p = 0.0001). Interestingly, a potential causal relationship between hydroxychloroquine use and lower infection risk was observed in the cohort studies subgroup (OR = 0.66, 95%CI 0.44-0.99, p = 0.04), but not in the case-control studies subgroup (OR = 1.06, 95%CI 0.63-1.79, p = 0.83). It is important to note the risks associated with high-dose use, such as retinopathy.
conclusionsAlthough hydroxychloroquine tends to reduce infection risk in SLE patients, the evidence is not strong. It can decrease severe infections, but high doses should be used cautiously and selectively in patients with impaired renal function. Further studies are required to establish optimal dosing and efficacy for specific diseases, considering the potential influence of study design on the observed associations between hydroxychloroquine use and infection risk in SLE patients.
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