Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40588366›Full record

ArticleLupus science & medicine2025

Relationship between hydroxychloroquine blood levels and lupus activity through the lens of the type 1 and type 2 lupus model: a cross-sectional study.

Kai Sun, Amanda M Eudy, Megan E B Clowse, Stephen J Balevic, Tyler O'Malley, Roberta Vezza Alexander, Rebecca E Sadun, Mithu Maheswaranathan, Jayanth Doss, Lisa G Criscione-Schreiber and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Lupus science & medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Kai SunDepartment of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA kai.sun@duke.edu.ORCID 0000-0002-8406-2932
Amanda M EudyDuke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-3107-5545
Megan E B ClowseMedicine, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8579-3470
Stephen J BalevicPediatric Rheumatology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4016-1680
Tyler O'MalleyExagen Inc, Vista, California, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4439-1395
Roberta Vezza AlexanderExagen Inc, Vista, California, USA.
Rebecca E SadunPediatrics, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Mithu MaheswaranathanDuke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0866-0022
Jayanth DossDepartment of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Lisa G Criscione-SchreiberMedicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA.
Jennifer L RogersDepartment of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5524-8642

Funding

Institutional Career Development CoreKL2TR002554 · NCATS · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI SVETKEY, LAURA P · 2018 to 2022
$8.2M
CO-LEADER: Intervention to Improve Patient-Provider Communication and Medication Adherence among Patients with Systemic Lupus ErythematosusR01MD018977 · NIMHD · DUKE UNIVERSITY · PI Kai Sun · 2023 to 2026
$2.4M
NCATS NIH HHS KL2 TR002554NIMHD NIH HHS R01 MD018977
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionIn the type 1 and 2 SLE model, inflammation mediates type 1 manifestations, but its role in type 2 manifestations (eg, fatigue, myalgias, mood disturbance, cognitive dysfunction) is less clear. Therapeutic hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) levels reduce type 1 activity, but their relationship with type 2 activity is unknown. Exploring this relationship may illuminate type 2 SLE pathophysiology.

methodsWe measured whole blood HCQ levels using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, categorising them as underexposure (<200 ng/mL), subtherapeutic (200 to <750 ng/mL) or therapeutic (≥750 ng/mL). We measured type 1 SLE activity using the type 1 Physician Global Assessment (PGA) and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index and type 2 SLE activity using the type 2 PGA and patient-reported polysymptomatic distress scores. Patients were categorised into

resultsAmong 154 patients (median age 43, 90% women, 63% Black race, 7% Hispanic ethnicity) across 297 visits, HCQ levels were underexposed at 41 (14%) visits, subtherapeutic at 76 (26%) and therapeutic at 180 (61%) visits. Patients had

conclusionsLow HCQ levels are associated with increased type 1 and type 2 SLE activities, particularly for the

Indexed as

Antirheumatic AgentsHydroxychloroquineLupus Erythematosus, SystemicAdultChromatography, LiquidCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedSeverity of Illness IndexAntirheumatic AgentsHydroxychloroquineAntirheumatic AgentsInflammationOutcome Assessment, Health CarePharmacokineticsSystemic Lupus Erythematosus

Identifiers

PMID40588366
PMCPMC12211835

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.