Lupus podocytopathy: a newly emerging nonimmune complex mediated nephropathy associated with systemic lupus erythematosus

Annals of Palliative Medicine, entitled "Lupus podocytopathy complicated with multiorgan injuries in a patient with severe lupus", Wu et al. (1), describes a case presenting with a fulminant form of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), complicated by multiple organ injuries, who was found to have acute kidney injury, 4+ proteinuria, 3+ blood on urinalysis, high titers of ANA and anti-ds DNA, and low serum complement levels.After initiation of immunosuppressive therapy to stabilize life threatening multiorgan failures, a renal biopsy was performed 3 weeks later which revealed histologic features compatible with lupus podocytopathy (LP), a newly emerging entity of nonimmune complex-mediated lupus nephropathy: in this case, no endocapillary proliferation on light microscopy (LM), negative immunofluorescence (IF), no immune complexes and no apparent thickening of glomerular basement membrane, but segmental fusion of podocyte foot processes on electron microscopy (EM).The patient was treated successfully with short-term immunosuppressive therapy.The authors explain that segmental fusion of foot processes found in their case, rather than extensive foot process effacement (FPE) on EM characteristically seen in LP might be due to intensive immunosuppressive treatments.Lupus nephritis (LN), a common and serious complication of SLE has been considered to be a typical Cite this article as: