Efficacy of sifalimumab for treatment of skin injury caused by systemic lupus erythematosus.

Background: This study aims to provide the best possible evidence-based information on the efficacy and safety of sifalimumab for treatment of skin injury (SI) caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods: In this study, electronic databases of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, CINAHL Plus, Global Health, WHO Global Index Medicus, Virtual Health Library, Social Care Online, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Allied and Complementary Medicine Database, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and China National Knowledge Infrastructure will be searched comprehensively from inceptions to June 30, 2019 without language restrictions. We will include randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on evaluating the efficacy and safety of sifalimumab for SI caused by SLE. Two investigators will conduct study selection, data extraction, and risk of bias assessment independently. We will use RevMan 5.3 Software to perform statistical analysis.

Results: This study will lie in the exhaustive and systematic nature of the literature search and its methods for evaluating quality and analyzing RCTs data. Considering the controversial efficacy of the treatment for sifalimumab, this study is responsible for improving the existing evidence on the efficacy and safety of sifalimumab for SI caused by SLE.

Conclusion: The results of this study will provide latest evidence for judging whether sifalimumab is an effective intervention for patients with SI caused by SLE or not.

Study Registration: CRD42019148225.