scholarly journals The clinical manifestations and response to treatment in South Africans with lupus nephritis

Lupus ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 1207-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
P G Mody ◽  
G M Mody ◽  
A Assounga

There are varying observations on the influence of ethnicity on the clinical spectrum and response to treatment in lupus nephritis (LN). We studied a multiethnic South African LN cohort to determine the clinical manifestations, histological involvement and response to therapy. We reviewed the records of LN patients at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban. There were 105 patients, 92.5% females and they comprised 49.1% Indians and 45.3% African Blacks. The mean age was 31.3 ± 12.5 years, and 41.5% had LN at first presentation of lupus. The most common histological classes were Class V alone in 34.9%, Class IV (± Class V) in 25.5% and Class III (±Class V) in 22.6%. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was reduced (<30 ml/min) at presentation in 15 (14.2%). Eighty-seven patients received therapy for LN. A response to induction therapy was noted in 81.6% and maintenance therapy (12 months) in 73.6%. Response to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) was 80.4% and 68.4% during induction and maintenance therapy, respectively. There was no ethnic difference in the histological class or response to MMF but African Blacks had more severe renal disease at presentation. In conclusion, our multiethnic LN cohort shows a high prevalence of membranous LN and good response to treatment.

Author(s):  
Matthieu Halfon ◽  
Delphine Bachelet ◽  
Guillaume Hanouna ◽  
Barbara Dema ◽  
Christophe Pellefigues ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Basophils were recently shown to contribute to lupus nephritis (LN). This study assessed blood basophil activation markers (BAMs) for the diagnosis of LN severity and as pre-treatment prognostic markers of the response to treatment in patients with severe LN. Method The diagnostic study included all the patients of a monocentric prospective observational cohort built with consecutive patients diagnosed with LN on the basis of a renal biopsy. The prognostic study selected patients of this cohort according to the following inclusion criteria: ≥18 years old, Class III or IV A ± C ± Class V or pure Class V LN at the time of inclusion and treated with an induction treatment for LN. Clinical data and BAMs were obtained at the time of the kidney biopsy. LN remission status was recorded 12 months after induction therapy initiation. Associations between baseline data and histological severity of LN or LN remission were assessed using logistic regression. Results No significant association was found between BAMs and the histological severity of LN in 101 patients. Among the 83 patients included in the prognostic study, 64 reached renal remission. CD62L expression on blood basophils at baseline was independently negatively associated with remission at 12 months [odds ratio = 0.26, 95% confidence interval 0.08–0.82, P = 0.02 for quantitative CD62L expression &gt;105 (geometric fluorescent intensity) gMFI]. CD62L &lt;105 gMFI was associated with a probability of 0.87 of LN remission in the next 12 months after the start of induction therapy. Conclusion Pre-treatment CD62L expression on blood basophils could be a first predictive biomarker of renal response to induction therapy at 12 months in patients with severe LN.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Mansour Mbengue ◽  
Motula Latou Lot ◽  
Seynabou Diagne ◽  
Abdou Niang

Studies report a high prevalence of hypertension in lupus, reaching up to 74%. The incidence of hypertension in SLE patients is increased with the severity of the kidney damage. This work was carried out with the objective of determining the prevalence of hypertension in lupus nephritis and to seek the existence of an association between the presence of a proliferative glomerulonephritis and hypertension. Patients and Methods. This was a case-control study, carried out in the nephrology department of the Aristide Le Dantec University Hospital in Dakar. All records of patients with lupus nephritis over a 10-year period, from January 01, 2007, to December 31, 2016, were included. Results. During the study period, out of 64 lupus nephritis records collected, 28 patients had hypertension, for a hospital prevalence of 43.75%. The mean age of the patients was 30.64 years ± 10.44. There were 24 women and 4 men. The mean systolic blood pressure was 156 mmHg (110–220) and the mean diastolic blood pressure was 100 mmHg (80–130). The mean serum creatinine was 29.48 mg/l ± 24.99. The mean proteinuria was 4.50 g/24 h ± 2.87. Hypertriglyceridemia was observed in one patient. Hypercholesterolemia was present in 3 patients. HDL levels were normal in all patients and elevated LDL levels were noted in all 4 patients. None of our patients had diabetes. Class III was found in 11 cases, class IV in 14 cases, pure class V in 2 cases, and class II in 1 case. Hypertension was associated with the presence of proliferative glomerulonephritis (odds ratio, 7.45; 95% CI, 1.9 to 29.1; p = 0.002 ). Conclusion. Hypertension is common in lupus nephritis. The presence of a proliferative glomerulonephritis is a risk factor for the development of arterial hypertension. Screening and adequate management of hypertension are essential for the prevention of the progression of chronic kidney disease in lupus.


Lupus ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 283-289 ◽  
Author(s):  
G Liu ◽  
H Wang ◽  
J Le ◽  
L Lan ◽  
Y Xu ◽  
...  

Objective We analyzed data of lupus nephritis (LN) patients to find parameters that can predict remission. Methods Sixty-four LN patients who were diagnosed with class III, IV, V or V + III/IV by renal biopsy and were followed up for more than six months in our center were enrolled retrospectively. Receiver operating characteristic curves were used to test the predictive values of urinary protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR), serum albumin and complement C3 at the first, second and third months as predictors for remission at the sixth month. Results The patients' renal pathologies were class III (five cases), class IV (33 cases), class V (nine cases) and class V + III/IV (17 cases). All patients received standard immunosuppressive therapy. Forty-six (71.9%) patients (grouped as the remission group) achieved remission at the end of the sixth month, including 23 complete remissions and 23 partial remissions. The other 18 patients were grouped as the no-remission group. There were no significant differences in clinical data, proportion of immunosuppressive therapy or renal pathological characteristics between the remission group and no-remission group at baseline, except the serum urea nitrogen of the remission group was lower than in the no-remission group. The UPCR were significantly lower in the remission group than in the no-remission group at months 1, 2, 3 and 6, respectively, while the serum albumin was significantly higher in the remission group than in the no-remission group at months 3 and 6, respectively. There were no significant differences in serum creatinine between the remission group and no-remission group, except at month 1. The C3 levels were higher in the remission group than in the no-remission group at months 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The areas under the curve (AUC) of the change percentage of UPCR at month 3 and the serum albumin at month 3 were the most significant (AUC 0.778, p = 0.002; AUC 0.773, p = 0.001, respectively). The cutoff value of the change percentage of UPCR at month 3 was 59%. The cutoff value of serum albumin at month 3 was 32.9g/l. Conclusion The change percentage of UPCR ≥59% and the serum albumin ≥32.9 g/l at the third month were valuable for predicting remission at the sixth month in LN. Because of the small-size and retrospective nature, this study needs to be validated.


RMD Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. e001263 ◽  
Author(s):  
Myrto Kostopoulou ◽  
Antonis Fanouriakis ◽  
Kim Cheema ◽  
John Boletis ◽  
George Bertsias ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo analyse the current evidence for the management of lupus nephritis (LN) informing the 2019 update of the EULAR/European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association recommendations.MethodsAccording to the EULAR standardised operating procedures, a PubMed systematic literature review was performed, from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2018. Since this was an update of the 2012 recommendations, the final level of evidence (LoE) and grading of recommendations considered the total body of evidence, including literature prior to 2012.ResultsWe identified 387 relevant articles. High-quality randomised evidence supports the use of immunosuppressive treatment for class III and class IV LN (LoE 1a), and moderate-level evidence supports the use of immunosuppressive treatment for pure class V LN with nephrotic-range proteinuria (LoE 2b). Treatment should aim for at least 25% reduction in proteinuria at 3 months, 50% at 6 months and complete renal response (<500–700 mg/day) at 12 months (LoE 2a-2b). High-quality evidence supports the use of mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid (MMF/MPA) or low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (CY) as initial treatment of active class III/IV LN (LoE 1a). Combination of tacrolimus with MMF/MPA and high-dose CY are alternatives in specific circumstances (LoE 1a). There is low-quality level evidence to guide optimal duration of immunosuppression in LN (LoE 3). In end-stage kidney disease, all methods of kidney replacement treatment can be used, with transplantation having the most favourable outcomes (LoE 2b).ConclusionsThere is high-quality evidence to guide the initial and subsequent phases of class III/IV LN treatment, but low-to-moderate quality evidence to guide treatment of class V LN, monitoring and optimal duration of immunosuppression.


Lupus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (12) ◽  
pp. 1616-1622
Author(s):  
Maria Francisca Moraes-Fontes ◽  
Ana Carolina Ferreira ◽  
Nuno Riso ◽  
Helena Viana ◽  
Fernanda Carvalho

In this study, we aimed to evaluate long-term patient survival according to demographic data, clinical manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and previous and current treatments, collected retrospectively. Patient selection required a minimum of four American College of Rheumatology revised criteria for SLE, biopsy-proven lupus nephritis (LN) available for reclassification according to the modified National Institutes of Health proposal for activity and chronicity indices and a minimum follow-up of at least three years since the last renal biopsy. Selection criteria were fulfilled in 25 patients followed for a median of 21 years. Based on the last renal biopsy, an equal number of patients were thus classified as class I/II and IV ( n=8) and class III and V ( n = 4). The mortality rate for LN was 14%. Having ever been diagnosed with glomerulonephritis (GN) type III or type IV but not class IV alone ( p = 0.046), a higher histological chronicity index at the last renal biopsy ( p = 0.022), not attaining renal remission one year after induction therapy ( p = 0.004), end-stage renal disease on dialysis ( p = 0.033) and the extra-renal Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics Damage Index score ( p = 0.017) were all significantly associated with mortality. Our results may provide important clues for strict observation protocols in particular categories of LN patients with long-standing disease.


Lupus ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (6) ◽  
pp. 607-616
Author(s):  
Asmaa SM Abdel-Rehim ◽  
Nesrine A Mohamed ◽  
Marwa M Shakweer

Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is an ominous manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Clinical renal affection is present in about 70% of lupus patients, and more patients have histological evidence of renal involvement without clinical manifestations. This study aimed to investigate the potential role of serum interleukin-34 (IL-34) as an early marker for the detection of silent LN. Methods Thirty-three lupus patients with silent LN (group I), 37 patients with clinical LN (group II) and 20 controls were included. The SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI), IL-34, anti-dsDNA antibodies and renal biopsy were assessed in all patients. Results Serum IL-34 levels were significantly higher in all lupus patients compared to healthy controls ( p < 0.001) and showed a significant positive correlation with SLEDAI score. SLE patients with positive anti-dsDNA antibodies had more active disease according to SLEDAI and higher levels of IL-34 than those with negative anti-dsDNA antibodies. In both studied groups, serum IL-34 levels were significantly higher in patients with proliferative LN (class III and class IV) than those with non-proliferative lupus (class II and class V) and controls. Yet, in both groups, IL-34 was not useful in differentiating active from chronic renal affection. Conclusion In lupus patients with insignificant proteinuria, serum levels of IL-34 distinguished the different histological classes of subclinical LN. Serum IL-34 may be used as a surrogate marker for early renal affection in silent LN, especially the proliferative type.


QJM ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 114 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gamal E Mady ◽  
Sahar M Shawky ◽  
Walid A Bichari ◽  
Mohamed S Hassan ◽  
Ahmed M Tawfik ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Lupus nephritis (LN) affects almost two-thirds of Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Despite initial aggressive therapy, up to 25% of patients with LN will progress to end stage renal disease (ESRD). Conventional serum markers for LN lack the sensitivity of an ideal biomarker. Urinary Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (UNGAL) is an excellent biomarker for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury and predicting renal outcomes. Objectives To measure UNGAL among LN patients correlating its levels with renal disease activity to investigate its predictive performance in response to induction therapy. Patients and Methods 40 SLE patients with biopsy-proven LN, class III, IV, or V were randomly selected. The study was conducted in internal medicine department and Outpatient clinic in Ain Shams University Hospitals on and completed after six months. UNGAL was measured at baseline and after complete induction therapy. Results In LN patients at baseline; mean UNGAL levels of complete response, partial response, and no response groups were 14.48 ±2.99 ng/ml, 34.49 ±4.09, and 62.07 ±14.44 ng/ml respectively. Based on ROC curve, we found better performance of baseline UNGAL to discriminate complete response group from partial and non-response groups to predict response to induction, outperforming conventional biomarkers. The area under the curve was 0.943 (92.31% sensitivity, 88.89% specificity), and the best cut-off level was 26.5 ng/ml. Conclusion UNGAL performed better than conventional biomarkers in predicting response to treatment of active LN.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Mohamed Abd El-Mohsen ◽  
Ahmed Tawfik ◽  
Walid Bichari ◽  
Sahar Shawky ◽  
Gamal Mady ◽  
...  

Introduction. Lupus nephritis (LN) affects almost two-thirds of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients. Despite initial aggressive therapy, up to 25% of patients with LN will progress to permanent renal damage. Conventional serum markers for LN lack the sensitivity of an ideal biomarker. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (UNGAL) is an excellent biomarker for early diagnosis of acute kidney injury and predicting renal outcomes. Objective. To measure UNGAL among LN patients to correlate its levels with renal disease activity and to investigate its predictive performance in response to induction therapy. Patients and Methods. 40 SLE patients with biopsy-proven LN class III, IV, or V were randomly selected. The study was conducted in the internal medicine department and outpatient clinic in Ain Shams University Hospitals and completed after six months. UNGAL was measured at baseline, three-month follow-up, and after complete induction therapy. Results. In LN patients at baseline, the mean serum creatinine was 2.57 ± 0.96 mg/dL and the mean UNGAL was 33.50 ± 18.34 ng/dL. Mean UNGAL levels of complete response, partial response, and nonresponse groups were 14.48 ± 2.99 ng/mL, 34.49 ± 4.09 ng/mL, and 62.07 ± 14.44 ng/mL, respectively. Based on the ROC curve, we found a better performance of baseline UNGAL to discriminate the complete response group from partial and nonresponse groups to predict response to induction, outperforming conventional biomarkers. The area under the curve was 0.943, and the best cutoff level was 26.5 ng/mL (92.31% sensitivity and 88.89% specificity). Conclusion. UNGAL performed better than conventional biomarkers in predicting response to treatment of active LN.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 305.2-306
Author(s):  
F. Faustini ◽  
H. Idborg ◽  
E. Svenungsson ◽  
S. Poetzsch ◽  
S. Okitsu ◽  
...  

Background:Lupus nephritis (LN) represents a serious manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) which requires timely diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Kidney biopsy is the gold standard of diagnosis and is instrumental to treatment decisions, however it is not generally performed for monitoring and evaluation of response to treatment. To such purposes, accessible biomarkers, for instance urinary, might be highly advantageous.Objectives:To evaluate urine-Galectin 3 binding protein (uGAL3BP) as a novel biomarker in biopsy-proven active lupus nephritis (A-LN) in comparison to active non-renal SLE (ANR-SLE), inactive SLE (I-SLE), and in population-based controls (HC). Furthermore, we compared uGAL3BP with known markers of renal pathology including neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), osteopontin (OPN), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), and galectin 3 (GAL3).Methods:Urine samples from A-LN (n=86), ANR-SLE (n=63), I-SLE (n=73) and HC (n=48) were included. uGAL3BP was measured using a commercial ELISA kit and values, adjusted for u-creatinine levels, were expressed as ng/mmol. Other markers analyzed according to clinical routine at the Department of Clinical Chemistry at Uppsala University Hospital were also adjusted for u-creatinine levels. Renal biopsies were graded according to the ISN/RPS classification(1) and evaluated for activity and chronicity index. Ten A-LN patients were evaluated before and after induction treatment.Results:In the A-LN group, median (IQR) levels of u-GAL3BP were 15.8 (6.8-24.6) ng/mmol, while in ANR-SLE, I-SLE, HC were significantly lower 4.4 (2.0-9.0), 2.8 (1.7-4.7), 2.0 (0.9-4.8) respectively (Kruskal-Wallis p<0.0001). Similarly, u-NGAL was found at higher levels in A-LN patients, 3.3 (2.0-5.7) μg/mmol, with respect to the ANR-SLE 2.0 (0.9-4.5), I-SLE 1.6 (0.8-3.2), and HC 2.4 (1.2-5.3), (p=0.008). The highest levels of OPN were found in the group of I-SLE (190.6 (85.1-299.9) μg/mmol, compared to A-LN 72.98 (37.6-118.1), ANR-SLE 92.3 (58.5-129.7) and HC 76.5 (58.2-120.3), (p<0.0001). KIM-1 levels differed among groups with higher levels in the A-LN group (188.9 (113.7-309.7) ng/mmol), in comparison to ANR-SLE 131.4 (92.2-186.1), I-SLE 123.8 (70.3-200.2), and HC 78.2 (68.8-115.1), (p<0.0001). GAL3 showed comparable levels across groups.When exploring the biomarkers across histologic subgroups of LN, u-GAL3BP could discriminate between proliferative and mesangial forms (17.7(9.6-32.5) vs 6.7(5.1-16.1) ng/mmol, p=0.027), while it did not discriminate against membranous LN. U-NGAL was higher in proliferative LN 3.7(2.4-5.8) µg/mmol with respect to membranous 2.4 (1.1-3.8) (p=0.01), while mesangial LN showed comparable levels. OPN, KIM-1 and GAL3 were comparable across groups.In the ten patients with available samples after induction therapy (mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) in 4, rituximab (RTX) in one, cyclophosphamide in 5 (one combined with MMF and one with RTX), u-GAL3BP showed a significant decrease of median levels from 218.8 to 41.5 ng/mmol (Wilcoxon p=0.03). u-GAL3BP associated with renal activity in class III/IV LN (R=0.42, p=0.004).Conclusion:Among the tested markers, high uGal3BP adjusted for creatinine was found to be a promising marker of renal involvement in SLE patients and associated with renal activity in patients with proliferative forms (class III/IV) of LN. A decrease was further seen following therapy, suggesting that u GAL3-BP could be used to monitor renal activity.References:[1]Weening JJ, D’Agati VD, Schwartz MM, Seshan SV, Alpers CE, Appel GB, et al. The classification of glomerulonephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus revisited. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2004;15(2):241-50.[2]Houssiau FA, Vasconcelos C, D’Cruz D, Sebastiani GD, Garrido Ed Ede R, Danieli MG, et al. Immunosuppressive therapy in lupus nephritis: the Euro-Lupus Nephritis Trial, a randomized trial of low-dose versus high-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide. Arthritis Rheum. 2002;46(8):2121-31.Disclosure of Interests:Francesca Faustini Speakers bureau: I have received speaking fees, last time more than two years ago, Helena Idborg: None declared, Elisabet Svenungsson: None declared, Sven Poetzsch Employee of: Merck Serono, Shinji Okitsu Employee of: Merck Serono, Anders Larsson: None declared, Iva Gunnarsson: None declared


2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1028.2-1028
Author(s):  
A. Fanouriakis ◽  
M. Kostopoulou ◽  
K. Cheema ◽  
G. Bertsias ◽  
D. Jayne ◽  
...  

Background:Lupus nephritis (LN) affects ~ 40% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is associated with significant morbidity. New data has emerged since the publication of the EULAR/ERA-EDTA recommendations for the management of LN, involving a multidisciplinary panel of experts.Objectives:To analyze the current evidence, in order to inform the 2019 update of the EULAR/ERA-EDTA recommendations for the management of LN.Methods:According to the EULAR standardised operating procedures, a Medline systematic literature review (SLR) was performed, from January 2012 until 31 December 2018. The final level of evidence (LoE) and grading of recommendations considered the total body of evidence, including the LoE of the 2012 recommendations.Results:We identified 542 relevant articles. High-quality evidence supports the use of immunosuppressive treatment for class III and IV LN (LoE 1a) there is moderate quality evidence for immunosuppression in pure class V LN, with nephrotic-range proteinuria (LoE 2b). Treatment should aim for a 25% reduction in proteinuria at 3 months, 50% at 6 months and complete renal response (< 500-700 mg/day) at 12 months (LoE 2a-2b). Strong evidence supports the use of mycophenolate mofetil/mycophenolic acid (MMF/MPA) or low-dose intravenous cyclophosphamide (CY) for the initial treatment of class III/IV LN (LoE 1a,Table); Combination of tacrolimus with MMF/MPA and high-dose CY are alternatives in specific circumstances (LoE 1a,Table). There is little evidence to guide optimal duration of immunosuppression in LN (LoE 3). In end-stage kidney disease due to LN, all methods of kidney replacement treatment have been used, but transplantation is accompanied by the most favourable outcomes (LoE 2b).Table.Randomized trials for induction therapy in LNConclusion:There is high-quality evidence to guide the initial and subsequent phases of class III/IV LN treatment. There is low quality evidence to guide treatment of class V, monitoring and optimal duration of immunosuppression.Disclosure of Interests: :Antonis Fanouriakis Paid instructor for: Paid instructor for Enorasis, Amgen, Speakers bureau: Paid speaker for Roche, Genesis Pharma, Mylan, Myrto Kostopoulou: None declared, Kim Cheema: None declared, George Bertsias Grant/research support from: GSK, Consultant of: Novartis, David Jayne Grant/research support from: ChemoCentryx, GSK, Roche/Genentech, Sanofi-Genzyme, Consultant of: Astra-Zeneca, ChemoCentryx, GSK, InflaRx, Takeda, Insmed, Chugai, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Dimitrios Boumpas: None declared


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