Practice Patterns and Approach to Childhood Lupus Nephritis in Saudi Arabia

Renal involvement of systemic lupus erythematosus needs aggressive treatment. Despite the development of multiple international guidelines, differences in practices exist. This study aimed to explore the current practices of pediatric rheumatologists and nephrologists for the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of lupus nephritis (LN) in Saudi Arabia through a survey. Among the 61 respondents, 54.1% were pediatric nephrologists and 49.9% were pediatric rheumatologists. Predominantly, the participating physicians received training either nationally (57%) or in North America (45%). Most of the respondents (77%) did not have a combined rheumatology-nephrology clinic, primarily because of space or time limitations (75%), or a lack of the other specialty (13%). In terms of the decision to request a renal biopsy, the most common factors were nephrotic-range proteinuria (85%) and a lower level of proteinuria associated with hypocomplementemia or elevated anti-double-stranded (ds) DNA (73%). There was marginal agreement over monitoring the disease's activity and treatment response; Complements 3 and 4, anti-dsDNA, protein-creatinine ratio, and estimated glomerular filtration rate were the most popular parameters. The main reason for repeating a renal biopsy was a new renal manifestation that was inconsistent with the previous biopsy. There was considerable variability in the induction therapies used to initiate and taper corticosteroids and conventional immunosuppressive drugs. Most respondents (91%) used angiotensin-converting enzyme agents to control proteinuria. Considerable agreement exists among Saudi physicians managing children with LN but significant variations exist regarding the therapeutic strategies. Additional endeavors are needed to establish a unified national clinical approach for managing LN in children.