Lupus strongly linked to the imbalances of the intestinal microbiome

Washington: According to a new study by scientists at the NYU School of Medicine, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is linked to an abnormal mixture of bacteria in the intestine.

The disease is marked by damage to the joints, skin and kidneys by the body's immune system.

The authors of this study claim that their experiments are the first detailed evidence of a link between bacterial imbalances in the intestine and life-threatening forms of LA.

The new study, published today in the Annals of Rheumatic Diseases, found that 61 women diagnosed with SLE had about five times more intestinal bacteria known as Ruminococcus gnavus, compared to 17 women of the same age and racial origin who did not have the disease and were in good health. . Lupus is more common in women than in men.

The study results also showed that the "flare-ups" of the disease, which can range from rash to skin and joint pain to severe kidney dysfunction requiring dialysis, closely follow the major increases in bacterial growth of R. gnavus in the intestine, along with the presence of blood samples of immune immunodeficiency. proteins called antibodies, specifically formed to bind to the bacteria.

Study participants with renal failure had particularly high levels of anti-R. gnavus.

The lead author of the study, Gregg Silverman, said, "Our study strongly suggests that in some patients, bacterial imbalances may be at the root of lupus and its badociated disease outbreaks," he says. and suggests that the internal intestinal environment could therefore play a more crucial role than genetics in the renal eruptions of this all too often fatal disease. He also suspects that anti-R. gnavus antibodies cause a "continuing and unrelenting" immune attack on organs involved in flares.

Silverman added that the study could lead to the development of relatively simple blood tests to detect antibodies against bacteria, which could also be used to diagnose and track the progression and treatment of lupus, even at the very beginning. of the disease.

Silverman, however, warns that more important studies are needed to confirm how these bacteria can cause lupus. But if future experiments yield similar positive results, this could lead to a change in current approaches to treating the disease, which focus on immunosuppressive anticancer drugs to alleviate kidney symptoms and lesions.

Source: ANI