Hydrogenology
Hydrogenology editorial study record

Adjunctive molecular hydrogen therapy for refractory malar rash in systemic lupus erythematosus: A case report with immunological insights.

Hsu NS, Lu JW, Liu HC, Ho YJ, Wang KY, Liu FC. · SAGE Open Medical Case Reports. 2025;13:2050313X251372755.

HumanOther formsPublished 2025
Study record, not medical adviceThis page reports one source and Hydrogenology’s source-text extraction. It does not establish that molecular hydrogen is effective, safe or appropriate for any person. Human, animal and laboratory evidence must not be treated as equivalent.
Source and classification

What kind of evidence is this?

Evidence stream

Human

Reported design

Case report

Research topic

Other molecular hydrogen research

Administration classification

Other forms

Study result signal

Indeterminate for molecular hydrogen.

Outcome type

Symptoms, clinical appearance and immune biomarkers in a single patient.

Reported in the source

Methods at a glance

Population or model

A 27-year-old woman with systemic lupus erythematosus and persistent malar rash.

Sample

1 patient.

Duration

Follow-up over the case timeline beginning in August 2024.

Intervention

One oral hydrogen-generating capsule daily, added during ongoing rheumatologic treatment.

Hydrogen form

Hydrogen generated after ingestion of a capsule; not Brown's gas.

H₂ specification

The article describes a commercial hydrogen-generating capsule; systemic exposure was not directly measured.

H₂ flow

Not applicable — oral capsule.

O₂ delivered with H₂

No oxygen was co-delivered.

Comparator

No control; before-and-after clinical course.

Reported, not endorsed

Outcomes and reported result

Outcomes measured

Malar rash, fatigue and immune-cell measurements.

Reported result

The report describes improvement in rash and fatigue and changes in immune markers during follow-up.

Results-extraction completeness

The full case report, timeline and concurrent hydroxychloroquine treatment were checked.

A reported association, difference or mechanism is not automatically a clinical benefit. Null findings, outcome type, study design and precision all matter.

Interpretation limits

Cautions and applicability

Design and reporting cautions

Hydroxychloroquine had also been started and there was no control, so the report cannot isolate an effect of hydrogen.

Applies directly to

This individual case only.

Preliminary appraisal framework

JBI Case Report Checklist — preliminary

Preliminary risk-of-bias status

Serious concerns

Appraisal rationale

No comparator, overlapping treatment timing and high susceptibility to confounding and selective observation.

Appraisal domains

Single selected case · Co-interventions were present · Follow-up described in the report · Several outcomes were clinician- or patient-reported · No prespecified analysis plan

No single-study GRADE certainty rating is assigned. Certainty is assessed by important outcome across a complete eligible evidence set, not by attaching a final grade to one source.

Provenance

Sources and record status

Identifiers

PMID: 40964664 · DOI: 10.1177/2050313x251372755

Publisher access

Free full article in PubMed Central.

Extraction basis

PubMed record and PubMed Central full text; extraction checked 9 August 2026.

Record revision

2026-08-10

Open bibliographic source ↗Open lawful free full text ↗Report a discrepancy