The efficacy and safety of cyclosporine in children with systemic lupus erythematosus: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

Background:Childhood-onset systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a rare but severe multisystem autoimmune/inflammatory disease with marked heterogeneity between patients, causing anything from mild to life-threatening disease. We performed a protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine in childhood-onset SLE. Methods:This systematic review has been registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022377450), which will be conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols 2015 statement. Only randomized controlled trials will be included.We searched the following databases including PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, SinoMed, CNKI, VIP, Wanfang Data and International Clinical Trials Register Search Portal, and Clinical Trials.gov. Two researchers will use the Cochrane systematic evaluation tool to assess the risk of bias independently. Data synthesis will be performed using RevMan V.5.4. Results:This study will comprehensively summarize the high-quality trials to determine the efficacy and safety of cyclosporine in the treatment of childhood-onset SLE. Conclusion:This study may be beneficial to health policymakers, clinicians, and patients with regard to the use of cyclosporine in childhood-onset SLE.