Current and Emerging Therapy on Lupus Nephritis

Lupus nephritis (LN) is involvement of the kidney in patient with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and one of the most common target organ in SLE. The diagnosis of LN will significantly impact the clinical outcome and therapy of the patient. Therapy regiment of LN is divided into two stages, induction and maintenance treatment. The main objective of the induction therapy is to achieve complete or partial remission as soon as possible since it is correlated with better prognosis and fewer relapse incidence. In the maintenance stage, the main aim of the therapy is to maintain the remission status and avoid future relapse. It is also important to evaluate the effectiveness of the therapy as it will affect the duration and the regiment therapy being used. Corticosteroid, cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, azathrioprine, cyclosporine and tacrolimus are example of drugs used in LN therapy. Currently, studies are being conducted to evaluate and develop targeted drug therapy to further add treatment options for LN.