title: Mycophenolate mofetil and erythromycin for bullous lupus erythematosus of childhood.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Bullous lupus erythematosus is a rare disease that is extremely rare in childhood (with only seven previous reports) and difficult to control.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Herein is presented the youngest patient reported with this condition, and a novel, safe, and effective treatment regimen is described.
  
  
  METHODS
  Through study, perseverance, serendipity, and creativity, a safe and effective regimen was developed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The combination of mycophenolate mofetil and erythromycin (plus sun protection) was found to be efficacious.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is proposed that the two medications act synergistically, with the "antibiotic" acting as a antiinflammatory agent, but at a different point in the inflammatory cascade than mycophenolate mofetil. This suggests the approach of using common, inexpensive, and benign antibiotics to potentiate, and perhaps decrease the use of, immunomodulatory agents in autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases.
authors.affiliation: McGill University-SMBD Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Kevin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pehr
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004917:Erythromycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008178:Lupus Erythematosus, Cutaneous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D012872:Skin Diseases, Vesiculobullous / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D004917:Erythromycin; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid