Telitacicept for refractory cystitis associated with severe systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report.

Background: Lupus cystitis, a severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), presents considerable treatment challenges.

Purpose: This case report describes the use of telitacicept in treating severe SLE with lupus cystitis.

Research design: A single patient with lupus cystitis.

Study sample: A patient with symptoms including frequent urination, urgency, and acute urinary retention.

Data collection and analysis: Initial treatments included corticosteroid pulse therapy, immunoglobulin, and cyclophosphamide, which improved laboratory indicators but failed to alleviate symptoms of urinary retention. The patient was then treated with telitacicept.

Results: Significant alleviation of urinary retention was observed shortly after incorporating telitacicept into the treatment regimen. The patient's condition remained stable with no relapse during the subsequent 10 months of follow-up.

Conclusions: This case highlights the therapeutic potential of telitacicept for SLE patients who are unresponsive to conventional therapies, particularly those with severe manifestations such as lupus cystitis.