The following is a summary of “Prevalence and Patterns of Renal Involvement Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematous at a Tertiary Center” published in the March 2023 issue of Rheumatology by Hasan”, et al.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that causes inflammation and damage to multiple organ systems. Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe and common manifestation of SLE that affects the kidneys. For a study conducted at a tertiary hospital, researchers sought to determine the prevalence of LN in subjects with SLE and to identify the demographic, clinical, and laboratory parameters of SLE in patients diagnosed with LN.
Medical records of outpatients who visited between January 2015 and October 2019 and met the classification criteria for SLE and LN were reviewed.
The study found that 36% of the 365 patients with SLE had LN. Class IV was the most prevalent type of LN, significantly associated with abnormal creatinine levels and nephrotic range proteinuria. In addition, elevated serum creatinine levels were correlated with hypertension and thrombocytopenia. Cutaneous manifestations were present in all LN patients, followed by arthritis and/or arthralgia (82.9%), anemia (94.6%), and lymphopenia (87.6%).
In conclusion, the study provided important insights into the demographic, clinical, and laboratory features of LN patients in Saudi Arabia, which may contribute to the development and progression of the disease. In addition, the findings suggested a significant correlation between abnormal kidney function and hypertension, thrombocytopenia, and nephrotic range proteinuria.
Furthermore, World Health Organization class IV LN was associated with impaired kidney function and nephrotic range proteinuria.
