Key clinical point: Three-quarters of SLE patients who discontinued immunosuppressant medication while in remission never experienced a flare during a mean follow-up of 7.6 years afterward.

Major finding: Maintenance hydroxychloroquine after discontinuing immunosuppressants while in remission was associated with a 76% reduction in flare risk.

Study details: This was a single-center retrospective study with long-term follow-up of 319 SLE patients who had been on immunosuppressant therapy.

Disclosures: The presenter reported having no financial conflicts regarding this study, conducted free of commercial support.