Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

A decrease in complement is associated with increased renal and hematologic activity in patients with systemic lupus

A Ho1, S G Barr, L S Magder

  • 1John Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21205, USA.

Arthritis and Rheumatism
|October 23, 2001
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Empowered hospitalized patients are involved in shared decision making on antibiotic therapy: a quantitative analysis.

The Journal of hospital infection·2024
Same author

Implementation and evaluation of a SARI surveillance system in a tertiary hospital in Scotland in 2021/2022.

Public health·2024
Same author

The future of hospital at home: a qualitative interview study of healthcare staff.

European geriatric medicine·2024
Same author

Accurately computing the electronic properties of a quantum ring.

Nature·2021
Same author

Risk factors for transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales to healthcare personnel gloves and gowns in the USA.

The Journal of hospital infection·2020
Same author

Estimating the Risk of Death from COVID-19 in Adult Cancer Patients.

Clinical oncology (Royal College of Radiologists (Great Britain))·2020
Same journal

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Rheumatism Association.

Arthritis and rheumatism·2020
Same journal

The regional distribution of rheumatologists: what can we do, what should we do?

Arthritis and rheumatism·2013
Same journal

Regional distribution of adult rheumatologists.

Arthritis and rheumatism·2013
Same journal

Clinically significant renal involvement in primary Sjögren's syndrome: clinical presentation and outcome.

Arthritis and rheumatism·2013
Same journal

Headache in systemic lupus erythematosus: results from a prospective, international inception cohort study.

Arthritis and rheumatism·2013
Same journal

Association of low baseline levels of erythrocyte folate with treatment nonresponse at three months in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving methotrexate.

Arthritis and rheumatism·2013
See all related articles

Changes in C3 and C4 complement levels were not consistently linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) flares. However, decreasing complement levels correlated with increased renal and hematologic activity in SLE patients.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Rheumatology
  • Clinical Chemistry

Background:

  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by immune system dysregulation.
  • Complement system proteins, such as C3 and C4, play a crucial role in immune responses and are often implicated in SLE pathogenesis.
  • Understanding the relationship between complement levels and disease activity is vital for monitoring and managing SLE.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the temporal relationship between changes in C3 and C4 complement levels and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) activity.
  • To assess whether alterations in C3 and C4 precede or coincide with SLE flares as measured by five distinct global activity indices.
  • To evaluate the association between C3 and C4 level changes and SLE activity within specific organ systems.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Methods:

  • A longitudinal study involving 53 lupus patients observed monthly for one year.
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) disease activity and complement levels (C3, C4) were measured at each visit.
  • Flare definitions included specific increases in physician's global assessment (PGA), M-SLEDAI, M-LAI, SLAM, and M-BILAG; logistic regression analyzed associations, controlling for prednisone dosage.

Main Results:

  • Decreases in C3 and C4 levels were associated with concurrent increases in renal disease activity.
  • Concurrent decreases in C3 were linked to reduced hematocrit, platelet, and white blood cell counts.
  • Concurrent decreases in C4 were associated with reduced hematocrit and platelet counts.
  • While not consistently linked to global SLE flares, specific complement changes correlated with organ-specific activity.

Conclusions:

  • Decreases in complement levels (C3, C4) are not consistently predictive of overall systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) flares based on global activity measures.
  • However, declining C3 and C4 levels are significantly associated with concurrent increases in renal and hematologic manifestations of SLE.
  • These findings suggest that complement levels may serve as valuable indicators for specific organ system involvement in SLE patients.