Autoantibody profile in African-American patients with lupus nephritis

Lupus nephritis (LN) is one of the major risk factors for morbidity and overall mortality in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Its pathogenesis is multifactorial, and a number of risk factors, including serological markers, have been identified in recent years, correlating with clinical course and disease severity. Furthermore, a distinctive autoantibody profile has recently been reported in African-American SLE women with LN. The aim of this study was to characterize the autoantibody profile in 222 African-American SLE patients, 94 with LN and 128 without. Only anti-dsDNA achieved statistical significance between the two groups (P < 0.05). Fourteen (14.9%) patients with LN and 15 (11.7%) without it exhibited positive anti-Ro/SS-A, anti-Sm, and anti-nRNP, but without anti-La/SS-B (P > 0.6). We conclude that African-American SLE patients with LN do not exhibit a specific or distinctive autoantibody profile. However, our data confirm the value of anti-dsDNA in SLE patients with LN.