Combination treatment in autoimmune diseases: systemic lupus erythematosus

Although the etiology of SLE remains unknown, much has been learned about its pathogenetic mechanisms, clinical patterns and prognosis, as well as about the role of various therapies in modifying its course. The most widely used immunosuppressive drugs (particularly corticosteroids, Cyc and Aza) are often criticised as being non-specific, but they may be effective in SLE and lupus nephritis precisely because broad rather than highly selective effects are required to control the aberrant immune system. However, they are not equally effective and are associated with substantial toxicities [6, 42, 50].