Patients with lupus can experience a wide range of symptoms throughout their bodies. The autoimmune disease has several treatment options to manage symptoms but currently has no permanent cure. Due to its unpredictable nature and complexity, lupus is a particularly challenging condition to describe, diagnose, and treat.
What Causes Lupus?
The term “lupus” encompasses several different autoimmune diseases that have similar symptoms. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) affects 70% of lupus patients, making it the most common form of the condition.
Most scientists believe lupus stems from a combination of factors, including hormones, genetics, and environmental triggers. Through research, scientists identified over 50 genes associated with lupus. Patients with lupus are more likely to have these genes than those without the condition.
While the genes don’t appear to cause lupus directly, they contribute to its development. The disease develops when these genes combine with the right hormones and environmental triggers.
How Does Regenerative Medicine Therapy Work?
Regenerative Medicine, also known as stem cell therapy, utilizes stem cells which serve a unique role in the body, as they’re considered to be the building blocks of all cells. They stand out as the only cells in the body that can divide to create new, specialized cells, like muscle cells or blood cells.
Researchers have discovered they can extract stem cells through autologous tissues from a patient and administer them intravenously, where they can begin to potentially repair or replace damaged cells.
How Does Stem Cell Therapy Treat Lupus?
Researchers have explored the use of stem cells to manage lupus for the last ten years. Since stem cells possess potent anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, scientists believe they can be an effective tool for managing autoimmune conditions.
By providing patients with SLE with a concentrated amount of new stem cells, the body’s ability to fight inflammation and regulate the immune response could receive a much-needed boost, reducing symptoms significantly.
A meta-analysis of eight studies that examined the use of stem cells in treating SLE showed that the therapy could reduce protein in the urine and decrease disease activity markers.
In an additional study, most patients who received stem cells continued to experience decreased disease symptoms and activity a year after their treatment.
Although the use of stem cells to treat lupus and other autoimmune conditions is still in the early stages, initial studies show that researchers are moving closer to establishing stem cell therapy as a standard treatment to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life.
This post was written by a medical professional at Stemedix Inc. At Stemedix we provide access to Regenerative Medicine also known as Stem Cell Therapy. Regenerative medicine has the natural potential to help improve symptoms sometimes lost from the progression of many conditions.