The drugs most frequently associated with drug-induced lupus are:
Chlorpromazine, Hydralazine, Isoniazid, Methyldopa, Penicillamine, Procainamide, Quinidine, and Sulfasalazine. Currently, newer medications have been associated with drug-induced lupus, such as the new biological agents used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, etanercept (Enbrel), infliximab (Remicade), adalimumab (Humira). Typically, once the suspected medication is stopped, symptoms should decline within days, usually symptoms disappear after one or two weeks. Drug-induced lupus can be diagnosed with certainty only by resolution of symptoms and their failure to recur after stopping the medication.
Drug-induced lupus erythematosus resembles systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). It results from a hypersensitivity reaction to a medication. The drug may react with cell materials, causing the body to form antibodies that attack the body’s own healthy cells. Symptoms tend to occur after taking the drug for at least 3 to 6 months. Persons with drug-induced lupus erythematosus may have symptoms that affect the joints (arthritis), heart, and lungs. Other symptoms associated with SLE, such as lupus nephritis and neurological disease, are rare. Drug-induced lupus affects men and women equally.
