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Dr. Don Thomas, MD

I am Dr. Donald Thomas, MD, a rheumatologist treating hundreds of lupus patients for over 30 years. Read my first blog post here to understand why I started this website and blog about “The Lupus Encyclopedia” and “The Lupus Secrets”.

Dr. Don Thomas also enjoys educating and empowering doctors, medical students, nurses, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and patients.

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Lupus Mottled Skin

Lupus Mottled Skin & Symptoms (Feb 2025 Update)

One skin issue associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is “mottled skin,” with livedo reticularis being one of
The endocrine system and lupus

Lupus and The Endocrine System

Lupus, a complex autoimmune condition, impacts various systems in the body, including the endocrine system. The endocrine system
Dry mouth from lupus and Sjogren

Lupus Can Cause Tooth Decay: How to Prevent Dry Mouth and Cavities (February 2025 Update)

Did you know that lupus patients have a high rate of poor dental health and tend to lose
Vitamin D supplement preventing disease: How to prevent lupus

How to Prevent Lupus & Other Autoimmune Diseases [January 2025]

This blog post will give advice on how to prevent lupus and other autoimmune diseases. I will first
treatment of lupus showing a lot of pills tablets and capsules

Treatment of Lupus: Best Practices & Guidelines [Mar ’25 Update]

The treatment of lupus has improved significantly over the past decade. Most patients can expect to go into
Lupus patient with COVID coronavirus

Getting the COVID-19 Vaccine: Now see me excited to get it

What was it like getting the COVID-19 vaccine? … and some advice for lupus patients   A rheumatology
Woman who has a malar rash (butterfly rash) due to lupus with lupus disease activity

How Severe is Your Lupus? Use a Lupus Severity Index

Read on to learn how you to figure out your lupus disease activity with a Lupus Severity Index
Lupus and the urinary system

Lupus and the Urinary System [March 2025 Update]

Kidney inflammation (lupus nephritis) occurs in around 45% of people who have systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Therefore, lupus
Illustration of collecting a urine sample

How to collect a urine sample properly for testing (UPDATED January 2025)

    It is essential for lupus patients to regularly collect an accurate clean catch urine sample  
Lupus and hives on arm

Lupus and Hives

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) can cause hives (also called urticaria). Hives are itchy, swollen bumps that appear on
Survey about being diagnosed with lupus and The Lupus Foundation of America

Participate in this lupus survey if you live in the USA [Survey is closed]

The Lupus Foundation of America wants to learn more about the difficulties in being diagnosed with lupus Click
Lupus life expectancy

Understanding Lupus Life Expectancy [Feb 2025 Update]

Dr. Thomas has systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients in their 70s, 80s, and 90s! Living with lupus is
Anti-cardiolipin antibodies and lupus

Anticardiolipin Antibodies and Lupus [Feb 2025 Update]

Anticardiolipin antibodies (ACLA), a type of antiphospholipid antibody, can thicken the blood and potentially cause devastating blood clots
Lupus medication list with drug allergy list including sulfa and Bactrim antibiotics

Good Advice on Lupus and Bactrim [per sulfa antibiotic research]

Lupus and Bactrim: List sulfa antibiotics (like Bactrim) in your allergy list if you have lupus Lupus patients
Photo of person holding a soap bubble

The Best Soap for Lupus Patients (Feb 2025 Update)

Selecting the right soap for lupus patients is crucial because certain soaps can worsen irritation from cutaneous lupus
Image showing complications of dry mouth from lupus exocrine involvement

Lupus and The Exocrine Gland System: Sjögren’s Disease [Mar ’25 Update]

Lupus patients can have dry mouth, eyes, and skin. Most of the time, this is due to having
Coronavirus vaccine for COVID-19 and lupus patients

COVID Vaccine for Immunocompromised Patients and What Drugs to Stop [December 2023 UPDATE]

The American College of Rheumatology Provides Guidance for stopping drugs to enhance the COVID vaccine for immunocompromised patients
Lupus patient getting intravenous immunoglobulin

Intravenous Immunoglobulin: IVIG for Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Immune globulins (also called immunoglobulins) are antibodies. A large number of antibodies given in IVIG for systemic lupus
Dr. Don Thomas explains ANA negative lupus

Can You Have Lupus With a Negative ANA Test? “Yes you can!” (October 2024 Update)

Protect yourself from medical mistakes. A study by a large group of international lupus experts (Systemic Lupus International
New lupus test for lupus flares announced by The Lupus Foundation

The aiSLE DX Flare Risk Index Test: A new lupus lab test

The aiSLE DX Flare Risk Index test The Lupus Foundation of America, in its continuous quest to advocate
Photo of sunspots: Johns Hopkins Lupus Center Reviews

Johns Hopkins Lupus Center Reviews: 2025 Sunspots & Milder Lupus?

Johns Hopkins Lupus Center Reviews: Could sunspots in 2025 lead to milder lupus? 2014 photo by NASA showing
Discoid lupus erythematosus on the cheek of a white woman with systemic lupus

Can Discoid Lupus Turn into Systemic?- “Sure” Now more about the truth

The Latest Research Answers the Question: “Can discoid lupus turn into systemic lupus erythematosus?” Discoid lupus: note the
Early signs of lupus in females

Early Signs of Lupus in Females

Lupus, an autoimmune disease, predominantly affects women. Around 90% of lupus patients are women, while 10% are men.
Dr. Donald Thomas MD holding the new edition Lupus Encyclopedia A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers

The Lupus Encyclopedia, edition 2: Now Available!

The Lupus Encyclopedia, edition 2: A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers is now available at
Woman holding thermometer to head during what is a lupus flare

What is a Lupus Flare: Prevent and Treat [March 2025 Update]

Did you know that even mild to moderate lupus flares are associated with a two-fold increased risk of
Lennon Wall graffiti in Prague Czech Republic that says Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Lupus and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds”

What do the following have in common? Lupus A drawing by a 3-year-old Julian Lennon Flowers and gardening
Dr. Donald Thomas MD holding the new edition Lupus Encyclopedia A Comprehensive Guide for Patients and Health Care Providers

Angela Deem of 90-Day Fiancé

  ​A gift for Christmas 2020, since I’m a 90-Day Fiancé fan. Angela wishes me a Merry Christmas and
Use of DHEA in lupus patients

DHEA and Lupus: Research shows it to be useful and good in some

Other Facts about DHEA and lupus – DHEA and lupus: DHEA stands for DeHydroEpiAndrosterone – It is produced
Image that says CAR-T Cells made simple

CAR-T Cell Therapy For Lupus Made Simple (January 2025 UPDATE)

The field of CAR-T therapies in treating autoimmune diseases like lupus is rapidly expanding. As of April 2024,
Woman sitting on chair

Spotlight on a Good Poem by Devoted Lupus Warrior

Lupus by Lupus Warrior and Lupus Fighter Shanelle Gabrielle “​I still have a purpose … A reason to
Connective Tissue Disease written on a white board by a doctor

Undifferentiated Connective Tissue Disease: It Is Real! (Feb 2025 Update)

Undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD) is one of the most common diagnoses made by rheumatologists. Many systemic lupus
methotrexate for lupus bottle of methotrexate on label

Methotrexate for lupus: help it work better and prevent side effects [January 2025]

Methotrexate is one of the safest and most effective drugs for lupus. Since the 1980s, it has been
Malaria organism infecting a red blood cell

How does Hydroxychloroquine work for Lupus (SLE)? [February 2025 Update]

Did you know that using hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) to help lupus patients was discovered by accident? Since that accidental
A man with trigger finger due to tenosynovitis

Now Research Shows: Lupus tendinitis, common cause of lupus pain

Jaccoud’s arthropathy due to lupus tendinitis (lupus tendonitis) and lupus tenosynovitis What is lupus tendinitis (also spelled lupus
Root cause of lupus research

New Research: A Root Cause of Lupus? [Reported July 2024]

New research claimed they discovered a root cause of lupus. Researchers at Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s
itchy skin like happens with lupus rashes

Itchy Skin Can Be a Sign of Active Lupus

Updated JUN 2023 Itchy skin can occur with active lupus rashes (cutaneous lupus). However, other causes are much
wrist brace for joint protection for the wrist with lupus arthritis

Joint Protection Advice for Lupus Arthritis

Joint Protection Advice for Lupus Arthritis Joint protection is essential in dealing with pain. When you rest a
salmon for anti-inflammatory diet with vegetables

Lupus Anti-Inflammatory Diet: Lifestyle changes advice [January 2025]

Eating a diet high in foods that decrease inflammation while avoiding or minimizing foods that increase inflammation can
Urticaria hives allergic reaction in systemic lupus erythematosus SLE

Allergies and Itching after COVID vaccine? Announcing Research Here

Results from 64,900 vaccines: How often are allergies and itching after COVID vaccine? We’ll take a look at
Lupus question should I get a 5th COVID vaccine and Evusheld

Do I need a 5th COVID Vaccine AND Evusheld if I have lupus? [December 2023 UPDATE]

December 2023 Update: Yearly Fall COVID shots and a replacement for Evusheld The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has
blood test for Epstein Barr virus and mononucleosis

Epstein-Barr Virus Vaccine to Prevent Lupus and Other Diseases?

An Epstein Barr virus (EBV) vaccine to prevent lupus? EBV infection may be a common trigger, causing the
close-up photo of persons eye

Lupus and The Eyes

Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect multiple organs and systems,
Benlysta is FDA approved to treat lupus nephritis

Benlysta approved for lupus nephritis: is it for mild cases?

Lupus Question of The Day: Is Benlysta for mild lupus nephritis? Ask Dr. T question and shortened answer
Discoid lupus on the chest of a white woman Saphelo for lupus

Saphnelo for Lupus: One of Two Approved Biologics [February 2025 Update]

Anifrolumab (Saphnelo) effectively treats individuals with systemic lupus erythematosus. It reduces the overactivity of an immune system molecule
Anti-inflammatory diet for lupus and autoimmune diseases

Anti-inflammatory Diet for Autoimmune Disease: New Research (AI Protocol)

The Autoimmune Protocol (AI protocol) is another term for the anti-inflammatory diet. The chart below was shown to
Arm wrestling to see which is better for lupus nephritis: Lupkynis or Benlysta

Lupkynis vs Benlysta for Lupus Nephritis: Dr. Thomas Has His Verdict!

Which is better for lupus nephritis? ​Here is my answer! Which is better for lupus nephritis? Benlysta or
systemic lupus can go into remission on medication

Can Lupus Go Into Remission? – Now thrilled to say “Yes!”

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) can go into a lupus remission on medications or treatment Lupus patient: “My doctor
Lupus and pregnancy

Lupus, The Reproductive System, and Pregnancy

Lupus, or systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is a complex autoimmune disease that can affect various organs and systems
Drawing of an electron microscopic view of the hepatitis C virus

Lupus and Hepatitis C: Lupus Patients Should be Tested for Hepatitis C

The interactions of hepatitis C and systemic lupus is strange, and hepatitis C can mimic lupus … read
White woman with shoulder pain fibromyalgia autoimmune disease blog post

Is Fibromyalgia an Autoimmune Disease? Research suggests “YES!”

Research Article: Passive transfer of fibromyalgia symptoms from patients to mice Goebel A, Krock E, Gentry C, Israel