title: [Lupus nephritis in childhood: clinical and evolutive study of 14 cases].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Renal involvement is one of the most severe and frequent manifestations of the systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Aim : In this study, we analyzed clinical and evolutive particularities of 14 paediatric cases of lupus nephritis (LN).
  
  
  METHODS
  It's a retrospective study in 14 children with lupus nephritis followed-up in the paediatrics department of Sousse and Mahdia between 1983 and 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 12 girls and two boys (sex-ratio = 0.16) aged four to 14 years (mean age =10 years). At the first presentation, we noted proteinuria in all patients with nephrotic syndrome in six cases, hypertension with variable severity in five cases, hematuria in six cases and a variable severity of renal insufficiency in six cases. Histological examination of kidney performed in 10 patients with severe nephropathy, revealed class IV glomerulonephritis in four cases, class V in two cases and class III in four cases. Thirteen patients were treated by corticosteroids associated with immunosuppressive agent in six cases. One patient had not received any treatment. Five patients were died of the continuations of SLE complications or immunosuppressive therapy. For the other patients, one is in clinical and biological remission since six years, four are lost of view, one is in end stage renal failure, two presented relapsing evolution and one presents refractory form of LN.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lupus nephritis is severe in our patients with predominance of class III and IV. New therapeutic strategies permitted to improve the renal survival but at the cost of an important iatrogenic morbidity.
authors.affiliation: Service de pédiatrie du CHU Sahloul, Sousse, Tunisie.
authors.forename: Jalel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chemli
authors.forename: Saoussen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Krid
authors.forename: Samia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boussetta
authors.forename: Saoussen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Abroug
authors.forename: Naceur
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ben Dhia
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ghedira
authors.forename: Mohamed Taher
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Sfar
authors.forename: Ahmed Sahloul
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Essoussi
authors.forename: Abdelaziz
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Harbi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008181:Lupus Nephritis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies