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Houssiau FA. [Treatment of lupus nephritis]. Biol Aujourdhui 2024; 218:25-31. [PMID: 39007774 DOI: 10.1051/jbio/2024006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/16/2024]
Abstract
Lupus nephritis remains the most frequent severe complication of systemic lupus erythematosus, leading to chronic renal impairment in 20 to 25% of cases. Current treatment is based on the combined use of immunosuppressive treatment and targeted biotherapies to optimize the chances of promptly obtaining and maintaining a complete renal response over the long term. The author discusses these recent advances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frédéric A Houssiau
- Service de Rhumatologie, Département de Médecine Interne, Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc, Université catholique de Louvain, Bruxelles, Belgique
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Menn-Josephy H, Hodge LS, Birardi V, Leher H. Efficacy of Voclosporin in Proliferative Lupus Nephritis with High Levels of Proteinuria. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol 2024; 19:309-318. [PMID: 38110196 PMCID: PMC10937024 DOI: 10.2215/cjn.0000000000000297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 12/11/2023] [Indexed: 12/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In a phase 3 study of adults with active lupus nephritis, addition of voclosporin to mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) and low-dose glucocorticoids led to significant improvements in the proportion of participants achieving complete and partial renal response as well as sustained reduction in proteinuria. This analysis examined the efficacy and safety of voclosporin in a subgroup of the phase 3 study with proliferative lupus nephritis and high levels of proteinuria. METHODS Participants were randomized to oral voclosporin (23.7 mg twice daily) or placebo for 12 months; all participants received MMF and low-dose glucocorticoids. This analysis includes participants with class III or IV (±class V) lupus nephritis and baseline urine protein-creatinine ratio (UPCR) ≥3 g/g. Efficacy end points included complete renal response (UPCR ≤0.5 g/g with stable eGFR, low-dose glucocorticoids, and no rescue medication), partial renal response (≥50% reduction from baseline UPCR), and UPCR over time. Safety outcomes were also assessed. RESULTS A total of 148 participants were in the voclosporin ( n =76) and control ( n =72) arms. At 12 months, 34% and 11% of participants in the voclosporin and control arms, respectively, achieved a complete renal response (odds ratio, 4.43; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.78 to >9.99; P = 0.001). A partial renal response was achieved by 65% of the voclosporin arm and 51% of the control arm at 12 months (odds ratio, 1.60; 95% CI, 0.8 to 3.20; P = 0.18). More voclosporin- than control-treated participants achieved UPCR ≤0.5 g/g (51% versus 26%), and voclosporin-treated participants met this end point significantly earlier (hazard ratio, 2.07; 95% CI, 1.19 to 3.60; P = 0.01). The incidence of adverse events was similar between the arms; mean eGFR values remained stable and within normal range in both arms. CONCLUSIONS Addition of voclosporin to MMF and low-dose glucocorticoids resulted in a significantly higher proportion of participants with proliferative lupus nephritis achieving complete and partial renal responses as well as earlier reductions in proteinuria, with no evidence of worsening kidney function.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lucy S. Hodge
- Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Henry Leher
- Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc., Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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Nossent JC, Keen HI, Preen DB, Inderjeeth CA. Population-wide long-term study of incidence, renal failure, and mortality rates for lupus nephritis. Int J Rheum Dis 2024; 27:e15079. [PMID: 38396352 DOI: 10.1111/1756-185x.15079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Given limited regional data, we investigate the state-wide epidemiology, renal and patient outcomes for lupus nephritis (LN) in Western Australia (WA). METHODS Patients hospitalized with incident SLE (≥2 diagnostic codes in the state-wide WA Health Hospital Morbidity Data Collection) in the period 1985-2015 were included (n = 1480). LN was defined by the presence of glomerulonephritis and/or raised serum creatinine. Trends over three study decades for annual incidence rate (AIR)/100.000 population, mortality (MR), and end-stage renal disease (ESRD) rates/100 person years were analyzed by least square regression and compared with a matched control group (n = 12 840). RESULTS Clinical evidence of LN developed in 366 SLE patients (25.9%) after a median disease duration of 10 months (IQR 0-101) with renal biopsy performed in 308 (84.2%). The AIR for LN (0.63/100.000) did not change significantly over time (R2 = .11, p = .85), while point prevalence reached 11.9/100.000 in 2015. ESRD developed in 14.1% (n = 54) of LN patients vs. 0.2% in non-LN SLE patients and 0.05% in controls (all p ≤ 0.01). ESRD rates increased over time in LN patients (0.4 to 0.7, R2 = .52, p = .26). The odds ratio for death was 8.81 (CI 3.78-22.9) for LN and 6.62 (CI 2.76-17.9) for non-LN SLE patients compared to controls and MR for LN patients increased over time (1.3 to 2.2, R2 = .84, p = .26). CONCLUSIONS The incidence rate of LN in WA remained unchanged over 30 years. A lack of improvement in renal failure and mortality rates illustrates the pressing need for better long-term treatment options and/or strategies in LN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes C Nossent
- Department of Rheumatology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Rheumatology Group, School of Medicine, University Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Helen I Keen
- Rheumatology Group, School of Medicine, University Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
- Department of Rheumatology, Fiona Stanley Hospital, Murdoch, Western Australia, Australia
| | - David B Preen
- School of Population and Global Health, University Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Charles A Inderjeeth
- Department of Rheumatology, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
- Rheumatology Group, School of Medicine, University Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
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Panagiotopoulos A, Kapsia E, Michelakis I, Boletis J, Marinaki S, Sfikakis PP, Tektonidou MG. Disease modification achievement in patients with lupus nephritis in a real-life setting: mission impossible? RMD Open 2023; 9:rmdopen-2023-003158. [PMID: 37308249 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2023-003158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A preliminary definition of disease modification (DM) in lupus nephritis (LN) was recently developed focusing on long-term remission and damage prevention, with minimal treatment-associated toxicity. We aimed to further specify aspects of DM criteria in LN, assess DM achievement in a real-world setting and examine potential DM predictors and long-term outcomes. METHODS We collected clinical/laboratory and histological inception cohort data from biopsy-proven LN patients (82% females) with ≥72 months follow-up at two joint academic centres. Specific criteria for 24-hour proteinuria, estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), renal flares and glucocorticoids dose were set at three time frames (months 0-12, 13-60 and 72) to assess DM. In the first model, DM was achieved if patients fulfilled all four criteria at all three time frames (achievers). In the second model, the continued glucocorticoids reduction criterion was excluded. Logistic regression analyses were performed. Possible different trends in DM achievement between past and recent decades were also investigated. RESULTS DM was achieved by 60% of patients, increased to 70% when glucocorticoids excluded from DM criteria. 24-hour proteinuria at 9 months predicted DM achievement (OR 0.72, 95% CI 0.53 to 0.97, p=0.03), but none of baseline characteristics. Among patients with >72 month follow-up, non-achievers had worse renal outcomes (flares, >30% proteinuria increase, eGFR decline) than achievers at the end of follow-up (median 138 months). Patients diagnosed between 1992 and 2005 were found to have significantly lower percentages of DM achievement and met less often the glucocorticoids dose reduction criterion in all three time frames, compared with those diagnosed between 2006 and 2016 (p=0.006 and p<0.01, respectively). CONCLUSIONS DM was achieved by only 60% of LN patients in a real-life setting, partly due to lack of glucocorticoids dose target attainment, while DM failure was associated with worse long-term renal outcomes. This may imply limitations in the effectiveness or implementation of current LN treatments, supporting the need for novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandros Panagiotopoulos
- Rheumatology Unit, First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Kapsia
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | | | - John Boletis
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Smaragdi Marinaki
- Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplantation, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Petros P Sfikakis
- Rheumatology Unit, First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria G Tektonidou
- Rheumatology Unit, First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Joint Academic Rheumatology Program, Laiko Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University, Athens, Greece
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Zhang D, Sun F, Chen J, Ding H, Wang X, Shen N, Li T, Ye S. Four trajectories of 24-hour urine protein levels in real-world lupus nephritis cohorts. RMD Open 2023; 9:rmdopen-2022-002930. [PMID: 37208030 DOI: 10.1136/rmdopen-2022-002930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2022] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES A 24-hour urine protein (24hUP) is a key measurement in the management of lupus nephritis (LN); however, trajectories of 24hUP in LN is poorly defined. METHODS Two LN cohorts that underwent renal biopsies at Renji Hospital were included. Patients received standard of care in a real-world setting and 24hUP data were collected over time. Trajectory patterns of 24hUP were determined using the latent class mixed modelling (LCMM). Baseline characters were compared among trajectories and multinomial logistic regression was used to determine independent risk factors. Optimal combinations of variables were identified for model construction and user-friendly nomograms were developed. RESULTS The derivation cohort composed of 194 patients with LN with 1479 study visits and a median follow-up of 17.5 (12.2-21.7) months. Four trajectories of 24hUP were identified, that is, Rapid Responders, Good Responders, Suboptimal Responders and Non-Responders, with the KDIGO renal complete remission rates (time to complete remission, months) of 84.2% (4.19), 79.6% (7.94), 40.4% (not applicable) and 9.8% (not applicable), respectively (p<0.001). The 'Rapid Responders' distinguish itself from other trajectories and a nomogram, composed of age, systemic lupus erythematosus duration, albumin and 24hUP yielded C-indices >0.85. Another nomogram to predict 'Good Responders' yielded C-indices of 0.73~0.78, which composed of gender, new-onset LN, glomerulosclerosis and partial remission within 6 months. When applied to the validation cohort with 117 patients and 500 study visits, nomograms effectively sorted out 'Rapid Responders' and 'Good Responders'. CONCLUSION Four trajectories of LN shed some light to guide the management of LN and further clinical trials design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danting Zhang
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2000 Jiangye Rd, Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Fangfang Sun
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2000 Jiangye Rd, Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Jie Chen
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2000 Jiangye Rd, Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Huihua Ding
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 145 Shandong (M) Rd, Shanghai, 200001, China
| | - Xiaodong Wang
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2000 Jiangye Rd, Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Nan Shen
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 145 Shandong (M) Rd, Shanghai, 200001, China
| | - Ting Li
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2000 Jiangye Rd, Shanghai, 201112, China
| | - Shuang Ye
- Department of Rheumatology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, 2000 Jiangye Rd, Shanghai, 201112, China
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Weeding E, Fava A, Mohan C, Magder L, Goldman D, Petri M. Urine proteomic insights from the belimumab in lupus nephritis trial. Lupus Sci Med 2022; 9:e000763. [PMID: 36167482 PMCID: PMC9516299 DOI: 10.1136/lupus-2022-000763] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Urine proteomic approaches have shown promise in identifying biological pathways in lupus nephritis (LN) which are not captured on renal histopathology or by measurement of proteinuria alone. We investigated how the urine proteome changes with treatment response and with belimumab therapy. METHODS Urine samples from 54 Belimumab International Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-Lupus Nephritis trial participants (all with biopsy-proven LN) were collected at weeks 0, 24 and 52. At each time point, 1000 urinary proteins were quantified using antibody microarrays (Raybiotech Kiloplex), and their abundance was compared in responders (n=31) versus non-responders (n=22) and with belimumab treatment (n=28) versus standard of care therapy (n=26). Response was defined as proteinuria <500 mg/gcreatinine (cr), serum creatinine ≤1.25 times the week 0 value and prednisone ≤10 mg/day at week 52. RESULTS By week 52, CD163 was the urine protein with the most significant difference in abundance between complete responders (median 1.8 pg/mgcr) versus non-responders (median 8.2 pg/mgcr, p=4e-7) regardless of treatment arm. At week 24, five urinary proteins were present at a significantly lower (CD23 and Siglec-5) or higher (AIF, CRELD2 and ROR2) level in the belimumab group. Belimumab therapy was particularly associated with reduction in CD23 between week 0 and week 24 (p=0.0001). CONCLUSIONS Reduction in urinary CD163 was strongly associated with complete renal response, confirming the results of multiple prior studies. Treatment with belimumab can be detected in the urine proteome, and further study is needed to determine whether modulation of CD23-mediated immune enhancement pathways might be implicated in LN treatment response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Weeding
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Andrea Fava
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Chandra Mohan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Laurence Magder
- Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Daniel Goldman
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
| | - Michelle Petri
- Division of Rheumatology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
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