Clinical characteristics of the patients with lupus nephritis (LN) and idiopathic membranous nephropathy (iMN)
| Clinical characteristic | Patients with LN (n=24) | Patients with iMN (n=13) | P value |
| Sex, male/female | 10/14 | 5/8 | 1.00 |
| Age (years) | 37 (25.8, 47.5) | 47 (30.0, 54.0) | 0.09 |
| Disease duration (years) | 3.0 (0.2, 8.5) | ||
| New-onset, n (%) | 9 (37.5%) | 6 (50.0%) | 0.73 |
| SLEDAI median (range) | 9 (8, 12.3) | ||
| SLEDAI score ≥8, n (%) | 20 (83.3%) | ||
| Laboratory criteria | |||
| Creatinine (µmol/L) | 95 (61.0, 229) | 82 (56.5, 98.5) | 0.20 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 70.5±44.3 | 86.62±23.82 | 0.23 |
| uPCR (g/g) | 3.3±5.9 | 5.0±3.6 | 0.49 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 31.7±7.4 | 25.9±8.5 | 0.01 |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (mm/hour) | 17 (7, 44.0) | 35.5 (17.5, 44.0) | 0.08 |
| WBC, 109/L | 7.3±4.6 | 7.4±4.6 | 0.93 |
| Haemoglobin (g/L) | 103±23 | 117±26 | 0.12 |
| Platelet, 109/L | 175±86 | 254±88 | 0.03 |
| IgG (mg/dL) | 1098±591 | 523±270 | 0.04 |
| Autoantibodies and complement | |||
| ANA positive, n (%) | 19 (79.2%) | ||
| Anti-dsDNA positive, n (%) | 12 (50.0%) | ||
| Anti-β2GP1 antibodies, n (%) | 4 (16.7%) | ||
| ACL, n (%) | 6 (25.0%) | ||
| Anti-Smith antibody, n (%) | 5 (20.8%) | ||
| Anti-SSA antibody, n (%) | 13 (54.2%) | ||
| C3 concentration (g/L） | 0.6±0.3 | 1.0±0.6 | |
| C4 concentration (g/L) | 0.1±0.1 | 0.5±0.4 | |
| Baseline SELENA-SLEDAI organ involvement | |||
| Serosal, n (%) | 3 (12.5%) | ||
| Haematological, n (%) | 8 (33.3%) | ||
| Musculoskeletal, n (%) | 3 (12.5%) | ||
| Dermal, n (%) | 3 (12.5%) | ||
| Proteinuria ≥0.5 g/24 hours, n (%) | 16 (66.7%) | ||
| LN ISN category | |||
| Class III, n (%) | 2 (14.3%) | ||
| class IV, n (%) | 7 (50.0%) | ||
| Class V, n (%) | 2 (14.3%) | ||
| Class III/IV+V, n (%) | 3 (21.4%) | ||
| Treatment | |||
| Prednisone dosage ≥40 mg/day at baseline | 11 (45.8%) | 0 | |
| Immunosuppressive drugs, n (%) | 12 (50.0%) | 7 (58.3%) | 1.00 |
| MMF | 3 (12.5%) | 0 | |
| Tacrolimus | 0 | 1 (8.3%) | |
| MMF+tacrolimus | 1 (4.2%) | 0 | |
| CTX | 0 | 2 (16.7%) | |
| RTX | 1 (4.2%) | 2 (16.7%) | |
| RTX+MMF/CTX/tacrolimus | 3 (12.5%) | 2 (16.7%) | |
| Belimumab | 1 (4.2%) | 0 | |
| Belimumab+MMF | 2 (8.3%) | 0 |
ACL, anticardiolipin antibody; Anti-dsDNA, anti-double stranded DNA; C3/4, complement 3/4; CTX, cyclophosphamide ; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; MMF, mycophenolate mofetil; RTX, rituximab; SELENA-SLEDAI, Safety of Estrogens in Lupus Erythematosus National Assessment-SLE Disease Activity Index; uPCR, urine protein-to-creatinine ratio; WBC, white blood cell.