Lupus Nephritis is a disorder, in which the glomeruli are inflamed caused by
systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). SLE is an autoimmune disease and can injure
multiple organs and systems .When lupus involves kidneys, Lupus Nephritis
happens. If not treated or treated ineffectively, Lupus Nephritis will progress
into Kidney Failure. Therefore, early accurate diagnosis of Lupus Nephritis is
very important for its treatment. If the patients with a prehistory of SLE have
the following symptoms, they should go for further diagnosis.
1. Body weight gain for no clear reasons.
2. If your urine color becomes dark, it may be caused by red blood cells loss
in urine.
3. If you loss protein in urine, your urine will become foamy.
4. You may have swelling around your eyelid and face in the morning.
5. If you go to toilet more times than before, you should pay more attention
to this abnormal phenomenon.
6. Blood pressure rises.
If you have the above symptoms, you are very likely to have renal injury and
you should go to see a nephrologist at once. In hospital, you will be
recommended to have a series of test.
1. Physical exam: The diagnosis of Lupus Nephritis begins with physical exam
to test blood pressure and to find if there is edema in body and so on.
2. Urine test: It is used to test if there is an increased amount of protein
and red blood cells loss in urine.
3. Blood test: It is used to find if the creatinine level that is an
important index in reflecting renal function rises.
4. Renal biopsy: Renal biopsy is the gold-standard test to confirm the
diagnosis of Lupus Nephritis. Renal biopsy can determine which type of Lupus
Nephritis and severity of the disease. Therefore, the patients can make a proper
treatment plan based on the result of renal biopsy.
An estimated one-third to one-half of patients with lupus develops Lupus
Nephritis within the first six months to three years of their lupus diagnosis.
Therefore, you should keep regular exams even if you do not have obvious
symptoms or the exam results are negative.
If you are a Lupus Nephritis patient and want to get more professional
guidance, you can email to kidney-treatment@hotmail.com.