Interpretation of Clinical and Laboratory Findings of Patients with Lupus Nephritis According to the Results of Biopsy

There are controversies regarding the diagnosis of lupus nephritis. Also, its clinical manifestations and severity are different from one patient to another.

The current study aimed to interpret clinical and laboratory features of lupus nephritis according to the results of the biopsy.

Following a retrospective design, 30 patients with lupus, who were candidates for renal biopsy and undergoing kidney biopsy, were studied. Clinical findings (blood pressure and limb edema) and laboratory findings (Cr, ESR, CRP, BUN, C3, C4, CH50, Anti-ds DNA, and hematuria) were gathered. Finally, the diagnostic value of clinical and laboratory findings was interpreted according to the biopsies and the staging of samples in the pathology. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Quantitative variables are displayed using mean and quartiles. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare study groups. Also, independent samples t-test and Levene’s test were used to evaluate variances of quantitative variables.

Of 30 cases, 5 had a biopsy of 3 and FSGN. Also, 8 cases were on stages 3 and 4, 9 had a stage of 4 biopsy, and 8 cases were on stage 4 - 5, 5, and 5 - 6. The association between age, Limp edema, ESR, and biopsy was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

This study demonstrated the usefulness of clinical and laboratory findings to determine the severity of the disease in the shortest time, mainly due to its easy, non-invasive access and early preparation of the results, which will facilitate the initiation of treatment.