Prognostic value of renal hemodynamic characteristics in patients with proliferative lupus nephritis.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Previous studies showed that renal hemodynamic parameters, especially the filtration fraction (FF), are decreased in patients with active lupus nephritis (LN). In this study, we evaluate the prognostic value of renal hemodynamic function tests on the renal outcome in patients with proliferative LN.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective cohort study of our patients with proliferative LN from 1986 to 2005. Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and FF before treatment were measured. Treatment failure was defined as a renal relapse or development of end-stage renal disease.

RESULTS

Thirty-seven patients were included. The median follow-up period was 8 years. Creatinine clearance, GFR, and FF before treatment correlated with the creatinine clearance at the end of follow-up (p = 0.001, p = 0.006, and p = 0.04, respectively). The FF was decreased in 92% of our patients, but FF and GFR did not have a prognostic value with regard to treatment failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Most patients with proliferative LN had a low FF. Low GFR and FF at baseline were correlated with a worse renal function at the end of follow-up, but this had no prognostic value in individual patients.