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.