Anti phospholipid Syndrome Nephropathy in Patients with Lupus Nephritis

Increasing the Antiphospholipid-nephropathy (APS-N) alterations on lupus renal lesions cause renal disease progression and detoriation of prognosis. The aim of this study was to find some indicators in lupus patients that can predict the occurring of APS-N in them and can be construct the preventive treatments for prevention of more complications. In this descriptive study, the renal biopsy specimens of 66 patients with lupus nephritis, were reviewed according to new classification of lupus nephritis ISN/RPS 2003 by a nephropathologist and synchronous alterations due to APS, were studied. Results were analyzed by SPSS-12 and statistical methods, independent sample test, chi-square.The APS-N alterations were seen in 31.8% of patients. The most common class of lupus nephritis was IV. There was no significant difference between any one of the lupus nephritis class and the existence of synchronous APS-N alterations (P > 0.05), between lupus nephritis and APS-N with serum Cr level at the time of renal biopsy (P = 0.434) and also between the presence of anti phospholipid antibodies and the existence of synchronous APS-N alterations (P= 0.904). The difference between clinical signs (thrombosis, ischemia) and existence of the synchronous APS-N alterations, was strongly significant (P = 0.001).This study recommend that pathologists should be careful to diagnose and report the existence of synchronous APS-N alterations in renal biopsy specimens related to lupus nephritis patients, because these alterations help the physician to carry out proper treatment and prevent of future vascular thrombotic events in lupus nephritis patients.