Prognostic factors of lupus nephritis in an Iranian population

Several studies have been done on Lupus Nephritis (LN) and the related outcomes, but there are limited data about the outcome of the disease in Iranian patients. Our aim of this study was to determine predictive factors of poor prognosis of LN amongst an Iranian population. This retrospective study included 111 LN patients, which were followed at least for one complete year according to their medical records. Data such as age, gender, geographical region, classification of renal biopsy, serum creatinine, blood pressure, complement levels, proteinuria, anti-dsDNA level, hemoglobin, Glomerular Filtration Rate (GFR) and serum albumin were collected. The short-term outcome was considered as complete remission, partial remission or non-remission; possible factors affecting the occurrence of these outcomes were evaluated. Pearson Chi-Square test and logistic regression were used for data analysis. A P value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Female: male ratio was 9.1:1 and the mean age of patients was 26.86±7 years. Low albumin, low GFR, low hemoglobin, high systolic and diastolic blood pressure, high serum creatinine, proteinuria and biopsy class IV at baseline were significantly associated with no remission or partial remission. There was no relationship between the mentioned outcomes and age, gender and geographic region of the subjects. All variables associated with the risk of non-remission should be considered in determining the prognosis and treatment plan. Of all the factors mentioned above, systolic blood pressure and low C3 levels had the highest correlation with the failure of remission.