title: Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases.
abstract: Autoimmune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus, scleroderma, and rheumatoid arthritis cause significant morbidity and mortality. Although aggressive treatments may suppress disease activity in some cases, there are few if any complete cures. Since these conditions arise as a direct result of dysregulation of the immune system, modification of immune stem cells may be important in their control. Some slow acting antirheumatic drugs have significant effect on bone marrow, and more recently a number of case reports have appeared in which autoimmune diseases have gone into remission after bone marrow transplantation for other reasons. Data from animal models of autoimmune disease show significant abrogation of inflammation following bone marrow transplantation. Advances in the technology of stem cell transplantation coupled with increasing ability to identify at an early stage those patients likely to develop severe autoimmune disease require an indepth study of the role of stem cell transplantation for these conditions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of New South Wales, St. Vincent's Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Brooks
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D001327:Autoimmune Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D051379:Mice; D012595:Scleroderma, Systemic / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome