Clinical features and renal outcome in lupus patients with diffuse crescentic glomerulonephritis

The objectives of the study are to investigate the clinical features and renal outcomes in lupus patients with diffuse crescentic glomerulonephritis (DCGN). Ninety-four DCGN lupus patients were enrolled. Their clinical features and renal outcomes were investigated. There were 84 females and 10 males, with a mean age of 27.9 ± 10.7 years old. They represented: hypertension in 73 cases (77.7%), rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis in 62 cases (66.0%), 46 cases (48.9%) with nephritic syndrome, 35 (37.2%) gross hematuria, and 14 cases (14.9%) with uremic syndrome needed dialysis therapy. There were 25 cases received repeated renal biopsy. Their histological examination showed the decreasing of active lesions and the increasing chronic lesions. All patients were more than 6 months follow-up, and 79 patients (84.0%) were more than 12 months follow-up. At the first time of follow-up (3 months), the renal function, proteinuria, and anemia were improved significantly in all of cases received intensive immunosuppressive therapy. At the last time of follow-up (56.1 ± 18.8 months), only four patients eventually developed to the end-stage renal failure and five died with normal renal function. The lupus patients with DCGN presented more severe clinical syndromes, which were similar to those patients of type II of DCGN. The relative good renal outcomes were observed in those lupus patients, to which may be contribute to the effective induction therapy.