| [ Summary ] |
Lupus nephritis (LN) is an intractable renal disease. Because of recent advances in treatment, patient survival rates have improved. However, the number of patients progressing to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) has increased as a result of development of chronic kidney disease (CKD) after initial treatment. To reduce diminish the number of dialysis patients, initial treatment and maintenance therapy after remission induction are both important. For pre-dialysis CKD patients with LN, a low dose of corticosteroidsis is a basic regimen, which is often used with renin-angiotenisn inhibitors. Relapse of SLE may be observed, although rarely, even after initiation of dialysis. Therefore, careful monitoring of disease activity is mandatory. Patient and renal survival rates are comparable to those of non-lupus patients. Kidney transplantation is routinely conducted for SLE patients as well. |