Lupus Nephritis Class II: A Challenging Entity

Abstract

Most of the literature focused on the proliferative forms of the lupic Glomerulonephritis. Clinicians are increasingly confronted with cases of lupic nephropathy purely mesangial (class II). The aim of our study is to describe the mode of presentation of the class II Lupus nephropathy, evaluate its evolutionary profile, and investigate possible risk factors for therapeutic misresponse, relapse or histological transformation. This is a retrospective descriptive and analytical study conducted in nephrology depratement at the Hassan II university hospital Fez from January 2009 until September 2018. We included 20 patients. The average age was 33.8 ± 7.25 years [22 - 50 years]. Nephropathy was inaugurated in half of the cases. The mean time of onset of nephropathy in relation to the lupic disease was 36.7 ± 45.4 months [1 - 144 months]. The main reason for consultation was non-nephrotic proteinuria (65%). Renal failure revealed diagnosis in three patients. All patients had a positive immunologic assessment. 90% of our patients received oral corticosteroid therapy with immunosuppressive therapy in 3 cases. Remission has been noted in all of our patients. After an average follow-up period of 39 ± 23 months [6 - 92 months], 45% relapsed. A second biopsy was performed in 80% of patients showing histologic transformation in four patients, requiring immunosuppressive therapy. The analytical study showed that the occurrence of relapse was significantly related to the presence of a known Lupus and its seniority. Proteinuria at 12 months was also significantly higher in the relapsed group. One patient died as a result of neurological complications. Another has Evolved into chronic end stage renal failure and has been put on hemodialysis.