Sustained remission in a case of lupus nephritis with cyclosporin therapy

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in severe form still presents a major therapeutic challenge. Aggressive treatment of severe renal lesions has improved the prognosis of renal disease over the last decade. However, this benefit is quite frequently offset by the side effects and toxicity of the treatment. Moreover, the disease may appear to be poorly responsive to treatment with steroids and cytotoxic drugs. We report a case of lupus nephritis that relapsed despite having adequate steroid and cytotoxic therapy, but later was successfully treated with cyclosporin. Fifteen months after discontinuing the treatment with cyclosporin, the patient continued to remain in remission.