title: Kidney disease in systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: Glomerulonephritis is a major determinant of outcome in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. Persistently active lupus nephritis imposes serious threats of end-stage renal failure and cardiovascular morbidity. Sustained corticosteroid treatment has been characterized as having an uncertain net benefit on the control of lupus nephritis, mainly because these drugs have relatively weak efficacy and they have been shown to confer their own set of cardiovascular risk factors. Controlled trials of corticosteroids, azathioprine and cyclophosphamide have demonstrated that the best control of clinical activity of proliferative lupus nephritis is attained with cyclophosphamide. To date, intermittent pulse cyclophosphamide treatment has produced the most favorable balance of efficacy and toxicity in patients with lupus nephritis.
authors.affiliation: National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center, Bethesda, Maryland 20892.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Balow
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001706:Biopsy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents