Lupus nephritis

Injury	Disease	Nutrition	Poison

Symptoms	Surgery	Test	Special Topic

Male urinary system

Lupus nephritis

Alternative Names:

Nephritis - lupus; Lupus glomerular disease
Symptoms:

Blood in the urine
Foamy appearance to urine
Swelling of any area of the body
Elevated blood pressure

Symptoms of SLE may include the following:

Joint pain
Joint swelling
Joint redness
Rash
- commonly on the face but may occur on other areas
- characteristic "butterfly" distribution
Chest pain, sharp and stabbing
Cough
Sun sensitivity
- fever may develop after exposure to sun
- rash may develop after exposure to sun
Fatigue
Mouth ulcers (painless)
Neurologic changes
- seizures
- dementia or psychosis

Signs and tests:

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Examination indicates decreased kidney functioning with edema and may indicatekidney failure. Blood pressure may be high. Abnormal sounds may be heard when the doctor listens to the heart and lungs, indicating fluid overload.

Lupus nephritis is usually discovered during investigation of the causes of reduced kidney function. Fewer than halfof patientshave other symptoms ofSLE at the time of diagnosis of lupus nephritis.

A urinalysis is abnormal with protein, casts, and red blood cells present in the urine.
An ANA titer is high.
Syphilis tests may be falsely positive.
BUN and creatinine may be used to assess kidney functioning.
A lupus erythematosus (LE) cell test is positive.
A kidney biopsy is indicated, not to diagnose lupus nephritis, but to determine what treatment is appropriate for the renal component of SLE.
A urine immunoglobulin light chain is elevated.