Clinical, laboratory and histopathological characteristics at the first and second biopsies
| First biopsy | Second biopsy | p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, n (%) | |||
| Female | 48 (86) | ||
| Male | 8 (14) | ||
| Age (years) | 32 (18–61) | ||
| Creatinine, µmol/L | 82.5 (49–284) | 76.0 (48–306) | 0.003 |
| Albuminuria, g/day | 1.4 (0–8.4) | 0.5 (0–3.8) | <0.001 |
| C3, g/L | 0.5 (0.2–1.13) | 0.79 (0.38–1.41) | <0.001 |
| C4, g/L | 0.10 (0.02–0.51) | 0.14 (0.02–0.45) | <0.001 |
| Anti-DNA AB IU/mL | 86.0 (<5–300) | 20.5 (<5–300) | <0.001 |
| Renal histology (ISN/RPS), n | |||
| I–II | – | 15 | |
| III-C | – | 5 | |
| III-A or III-A/C | 13 | 8 | |
| IV-C | – | 1 | |
| IV-A or IV-A/C | 26 | 6 | |
| III–IV/V | 6 | 3 | |
| V | 11 | 16 | |
| Vasculitis | – | 1 | |
| Activity index | 5 (0–13) | 2 (0–12) | <0.001 |
| Chronicity index | 1 (0–6) | 1 (0–8) | <0.001 |
| Prednisolone at | |||
| Biopsy*, % | 68 | 98 | |
| Dose, mg/day | 20 (2.5–60) | 10 (2.5–30) | |
| Induction treatment, n | |||
| Cyclophosphamide | 40 | ||
| Mycophenolate mofetil | 9 | ||
| Rituximab | 6 | ||
| Azathioprine | 1 | ||
| IFNα (ng/mL) | 0.08 (0–1.2) | 0.03 (0–0.68) | 0.003 |
| IFNλ (ng/mL) | 0 (0–5.32) | 0 (0–4.02) | 0.14 |
Values are presented as a median (range) unless otherwise indicated.
*Percentage of patients treated with prednisolone.
C3, complement component 3; C4, complement component 4; IFN, interferon; ISN/RPS, International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society; n, number of patients.