Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) has a prevalence estimated between 1 and 6 per 10000 individuals and concerns over 30 000 patients in France for example. As of today, there isn't any reliable specific blood analysis that can be used to assess the prognosis of SLE, that means predict a SLE flare. The discovery of such a blood test could allow a better patients' monitoring in order to help doctors to better adapt treatments (lowering background treatments when they are not needed and increase them ahead of a potential flare when the risk assessment raises).
In SLE patients, a recent study shows elevated levels of GADD34 RNA in mononuclear blood cells : higher than twice the control levels for 36 of the 60 SLE patients and ten times higher than the control levels for 13 of the 60 SLE patients.
Given that GADD34 has been described as a potential key regulator of pro-inflammatory cytokine production in human and elevated blood marker in SLE patients, this study aim to prove that the GADD34 RNA level in mononuclear blood cells can be used as a prognostic marker to assess the risk of SLE flare.
