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Anti-Sm may predict need for immunosuppressant therapy in patients with lupus nephritis
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Patients with lupus nephritis who have positive tests for anti-Sm antibodies may be more likely to require immunosuppressive therapy, according to recently released data.
Researchers studied 90 patients with lupus nephritis (LN) who underwent renal biopsy between January 2005 and December 2014 at the Yonsei University College of Medicine in Seoul. Patients were screened for anti-Sm antibodies, and other serum analysis included screening for additional autoantibodies and complement.
Median age at the time of renal biopsy was 32 years, and mean follow-up time was 35.3 months. Patients were excluded in the presence of anti-Sm antibodies 6 months preceding or following the biopsy.
The most frequent subtype of LN was class IV in 46.6% of patients, followed by class III in 32.2% and class V in 26.6% of patients. No association was seen between the class subtype and the presence of anti-Sm antibodies, according to the researchers.
Immunosuppressants considered for treatment of LN included cyclophosphamide, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, tacrolimus and cyclosporine. During follow-up, 73 patients (81.1%) had received an immunosuppressive therapy at some point, and a correlation was seen between the use of immunosuppressives and the presence of anti-Sm antibodies and in univariate analysis, with age and disease activity. Multivariate analysis also revealed an association between the presence of anti-Sm antibodies and age, disease activity and the use of immunosuppressive agents. – by Shirley Pulawski
Reference:
Ahn SS, et al. Paper #FRI0428. Presented at: European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology; June 10-13, 2015; Rome.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.