Cardiff Lupus Group

28/08/2026

🫘Do you live with lupus nephritis? There's a new research opportunity ⭐️

🟣 Withdrawing immunosuppression in patients with lupus nephritis in remission: a patient perspective 🟣

☑️ Do you have kidney disease due to lupus?
Researchers at King’s College London are looking for adults with kidney disease due to lupus to take part in an online research interview exploring views on immune suppressing treatment and monitoring.

☑️ Deadline to express interest: 30th September 2026

☑️ Location: Online

☑️ When: Interviews will take place from mid-August to end of September

☑️ What’s involved:
-One online interview (45–60 minutes via Microsoft Teams)
-Sharing your experiences and perspectives
-Your views will help inform future research and patient care
-Your participation is voluntary and confidential

☑️ Participants will receive a voucher as a thank-you for their time in completing the interview.

☑️ Who:
You can take part if you:
-Are someone with kidney disease caused by lupus
-Are aged 18 and over
-Live in the UK
-Have access to the internet
-Can understand and speak English

☑️ Interested in taking part? Complete the short screening survey: https://qualtrics.kcl.ac.uk/jfe/form/SV_82DYW2nD5dGkelU

☑️ Contact:
· Dr Ayah Mekhaimar: [email protected] (Academic clinical fellow, King’s College London)

· Dr Michael Robson: [email protected] (Reader in Nephrology and Consultant Nephrologist, King’s College London)

Organised by: King's College London. Ethics approval number: LRU/RGO-25/26-56216.

25/08/2026

⬇️ A new service is being rolled out from today for women in England, who will be offered HPV self-testing kits.

💜 It's particularly important to stay up to date with human papillomavirus (HPV) testing when living with lupus, as data (Dhar JP, et al. 2019) show that women with lupus are at increased risk of both cervical dysplasia and cervical cancer.

Millions of women in England are to be offered HPV self-testing kits as the new service rolls out from today.

The kits will be offered to those who haven’t attended cervical screening following previous invitations, providing a discreet and convenient way to test for high-risk HPV at home.

➡️ https://www.england.nhs.uk/2026/08/nhs-rolls-out-discreet-home-testing-kits-against-cervical-cancer-for-millions-of-women/

23/08/2026

☁️ Cloudy Days ➡️

Levels of UV can still be high even on cloudy days, so it's important to protect yourself🌞

UV can damage your skin and increase the risk of skin cancer, but also helps your body produce vitamin D. So it’s all about balance and enjoying sunshine safely when UV levels are high.

Levels of UV can still be high even on cloudy days, so it's important to protect yourself🌞

UV can damage your skin and increase the risk of skin cancer, but also helps your body produce vitamin D. So it’s all about balance and enjoying sunshine safely when UV levels are high.

20/08/2026

The next bank holiday is in less than two weeks' time. Many of the pharmacies across Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan will be closed on Monday 31st August.

If you are due your repeat prescriptions around then, please plan ahead by ordering them as soon as possible, and pick them up before you need them.

You can find a list of community pharmacies that are open on Bank Holiday Monday below 👇 🔗

20/08/2026

New research highlighted by the Pembrokeshire Herald has drawn attention to the long waits some people in Wales face before receiving a diagnosis for autoimmune and rheumatological conditions.

The Welsh sample reportedly waited 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝟭𝟭 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝘆𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘀, with researchers also highlighting barriers including access to specialist services and diagnostic testing.

While APS is not specifically discussed in the article, the findings underline the wider importance of earlier recognition, timely diagnosis and access to specialist care for people living with autoimmune conditions.

Read the article here: https://pembrokeshire-herald.com/136625/patients-in-wales-waiting-years-for-autoimmune-diagnosis/

13/08/2026

📺 Recent ITV coverage about CAR T-cell treatment for lupus, including Laura’s experience of receiving this innovative treatment as part of a clinical trial. Watch the interview here ⬇️

Watch the latest from ITV News - Laura is one of the first people in the world to receive a groundbreaking new treatment at Addenbrooke's in Cambridge

05/08/2026

🦋 Thank you, Laura, for sharing your story 💜

04/08/2026

📣 Osteopenia awareness opportunity ⬇️⬇️