Plasma exchange in Raynaud's phenomenon

Plasma exchange: a controlled study of the effect in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon and scleroderma

Six female patients with stage I and II vascular scleroderma and Raynaud's phenomenon were treated with plasma exchange and placebo plasma exchange. Placebo exchange consisted of the return of the patient's own separated plasma. No consistent long-term objective improvement was demonstrated in patients treated with either plasma exchange or placebo plasma exchange. Immediate increases in pulse volume, digital blood pressure, and skin temperature occurred in some patients with both procedures. Mechanisms of change remain unexplained, and further study is warranted.

Plasma exchange in the treatment of severe, childhood onset systemic lupus erythematosus

Plasma exchange was used in the treatment of a 10-year-old girl with acute systemic lupus erythematosus. The patient was in a life-threatening condition, and treatment with high dose corticosteroids did not control the disease. The patient's condition improved dramatically during the second day of plasma exchange therapy. It also appeared to have a long-lasting effect in combination with immunosuppressive drugs. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of plasma exchange in a child with systemic lupus erythematosus.