Treatment of SLE with dehydroepiandrosterone

A method for determining whether an individual with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is responding to DHEA administration for treatment of SLE, comprising:

• a) at least about 4 weeks after initiating DHEA administration, determining the following, disease-activity and constitutional-symptom variables characterizing the individual's SLE condition:
• the SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), Krupp Fatigue Severity Score (KFSS), the Patient Visual Analog Scale (Patient VAS), and the Systemic Lupus Activity Measurement (SLAM);
• and
• b) determining the differences between the values for SLEDAI, KFSS, VAS, and SLAM after initiating DHEA administration and baseline values for SLEDAI, KFSS, VAS, and SLAM before initiating DHEA administration, wherein a decrease in three of these four variables and either a decrease, no change, or an increase of no more than about 5% of a baseline value in the fourth variable indicates that the individual is responding to said DHEA administration.