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Abstract
Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is a common manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), with 10–30% progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and requiring dialysis. Kidney transplantation (KT) is also a treatment option, but long-term graft survival remains controversial. The aim of this study is to compare the disease phenotype in patients with LN undergoing KT and RRT in comparison to that of SLE patient without LN and to estimate graft survival in a United Arab Emirates cohort who underwent renal transplantation.
Methods 10 adult LN patients with ESRD who had KT or were list for KT were age and gender matched to 15 SLE patients without LN. All patients in both groups were female.
Results The mean age of SLE diagnosis in patients who developed LN was 24, and the mean age of LN development was 25. The mean age of SLE diagnosis was 28.7 years, older in SLE patients without LN. At a mean age of 29 years, 50% of LN patients were started on intermittent hemodialysis. In four patients, the mean time between starting hemodialysis and having a kidney transplant was seven years. The mean age of kidney transplant recipients was 38 years old. In four patients, the mean time between diagnosis of LN and kidney transplant was 13 years. The mean duration of post-kidney transplant follow-up was 7 months. Prednisolone was used by 90% of patients with lupus nephritis and KT and 66.6% of patients with SLE without LN. Table 1 and figure 1.
Conclusions Patients with LN presented at a younger age and patients with LN undergoing kidney transplantation in the UAE remain an understudied population with sparse data, highlighting the need for additional large-scale studies of the region.
Comorbidity profile of the patients with SLE without LN and LN with ESRD who underwent or awaiting KT.
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