Abstract
Lupus nephritis (LN) is a form of glomerulonephritis that constitutes one of the most severe organ manifestations of the autoimmune disease systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Most patients with SLE who develop LN do so within 5 years of an SLE diagnosis and, in many cases, LN is the presenting manifestation resulting in the diagnosis of SLE. Understanding of the genetic and pathogenetic basis of LN has improved substantially over the past few decades. Treatment of LN usually involves immunosuppressive therapy, typically with mycophenolate mofetil or cyclophosphamide and with glucocorticoids, although these treatments are not uniformly effective. Despite increased knowledge of disease pathogenesis and improved treatment options, LN remains a substantial cause of morbidity and death among patients with SLE. Within 10 years of an initial SLE diagnosis, 5–20% of patients with LN develop end-stage kidney disease, and the multiple comorbidities associated with immunosuppressive treatment, including infections, osteoporosis and cardiovascular and reproductive effects, remain a concern. Clearly, early and accurate diagnosis of LN and prompt initiation of therapy are of vital importance to improve outcomes in patients with SLE.
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Acknowledgements
H.-J.A. was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (AN372/24-1). I.P. was supported by the Swedish Rheumatism Association (R-859621), the Professor Nanna Svartz Foundation (2018-00250), the Ulla and Roland Gustafsson Foundation (2019-12), Region Stockholm and the Karolinska Institutet. M.-h.Z. was supported by funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China to the Innovation Research Group (81621092). R.S. was supported by the George M. O’Brien Kidney Research Core Center (US National Institutes of Health grant P30DK079328). C.M. was supported by the US National Institutes of Health grant RO1 AR074096. The authors thank T. Nguyen and A.S.C.L.S. Titus for editorial support.
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Introduction (C.M., H.-J.A., R.S., I.P. and J.E.S.); Epidemiology (M.-h.Z.); Mechanisms/pathophysiology (C.M. and H.-J.A.); Diagnosis, screening and prevention (I.P. and M.-h.Z.); Management (R.S. and J.E.S.); Quality of life (M.-h.Z.); Outlook (C.M., H.-J.A., R.S., M.-h.Z., I.P. and J.E.S.); Overview of Primer (C.M., H.-J.A. and I.P.).
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co-senior authors: Hans-Joachim Anders, Ramesh Saxena, Ming-hui Zhao, Ioannis Parodis, Jane E. Salmon and Chandra Mohan
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Anders, HJ., Saxena, R., Zhao, Mh. et al. Lupus nephritis. Nat Rev Dis Primers 6, 7 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0141-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41572-019-0141-9
