Treatment of severe immune thrombocytopenia associated with systemic lupus erythematosus: 59 cases.

Objective: To evaluate the response to treatment in a large cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with autoimmune thrombocytopenia.

Methods: Response to treatment was assessed retrospectively in 59 patients with SLE, either definite (n = 44) or incomplete (n = 15), associated with frank autoimmune thrombocytopenia (defined as platelet count < 50 x 10(9)/l). Response to treatment was classified as complete (CR: platelet count > 150 x 10(9)/l), partial (PR: platelet count > 50 x 10/l), or failure (FR) in the other cases.