Dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report

Objective: To put systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in remission for a prolonged period. Methods: Dexamethasone cyclophosphamide pulse (DCP) therapy was used in a 40-year-old female with SLE of 3years' duration. DCP therapy comprises an intravenous infusion of 100mg dexamethasone in 500ml of 5% glucose over 1-1 hours on 3 consecutive days along with cyclophosphamide 500mg in the same drip on the first day. This was repeated at 4-week intervals till 9 months after all the lesions cleared. In between the DCP therapy she was given 50mg cyclophosphamide orally daily. Results: The skin lesions cleared with 11 DCP therapies. There was no relapse 24 months after stopping all treatment. Conclusion: DCP therapy appears to put SLE into prolonged remission.