Lupus NephritisSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Lupus Nephritis
Lupus nephritis, which is a kidney disorder, is a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus.
Nephritis - lupus; Lupus glomerular disease
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, or lupus) is an autoimmune disease. This means there is a problem with the body's immune system.
Normally, the immune system helps protect the body from infection or harmful substances. But in people with an autoimmune disease, the immune system cannot tell the difference between harmful substances and healthy ones. As a result, the immune system attacks otherwise healthy cells and tissues.
SLE may damage different parts of the kidney. This can lead to disorders such as:
- Focal or diffuse proliferative disease
- Interstitial nephritis
- Nephrotic syndrome
- Membranous glomerulonephritis
- Kidney failure
Symptoms of lupus nephritis include:
- Blood in the urine
- Foamy appearance to urine
- Swelling (edema) of any area of the body
- High blood pressure
The goal of treatment is to improve kidney function and to delay kidney failure.
Medicines may include some that suppress the immune system, such as corticosteroids, cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, or azathioprine.
You may need dialysis to control symptoms of kidney failure, sometimes for only a while. A kidney transplant may be recommended. People with active lupus should not have a transplant because the condition can occur in the transplanted kidney.
Northwell Health Physician Partners Rheumatology At Great Neck
Richard Furie is a Rheumatologist practicing medicine in Great Neck, New York. Dr. Furie is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lupus Nephritis. He is also highly rated in 8 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Lupus Nephritis, Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE), and Discoid Lupus Erythematosus (DLE). Dr. Furie is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine and American Board Of Internal Medicine/Rheumatology.
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Andrea Fava is a Rheumatologist practicing medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Fava is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lupus Nephritis. He is also highly rated in 4 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Lupus Nephritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Scleroderma, and Systemic Sclerosis (SSc). Dr. Fava is board certified in American Board Of Internal Medicine.
Montefiore At AECOM
Chaim Putterman, MD - Summary of Research Program and Goals. Dr. Putterman is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Lupus Nephritis. He is also highly rated in 7 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Lupus Nephritis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Cutaneous Lupus Erythematosus (CLE), and Vasculitis.
How well you do depends on the specific form of lupus nephritis. You may have flare-ups, and then times when you do not have any symptoms.
Some people with this condition develop long-term (chronic) kidney failure.
Although lupus nephritis may return in a transplanted kidney, it rarely leads to end-stage kidney disease.
Complications that may result from lupus nephritis include:
- Acute renal failure
- Chronic renal failure
Contact your provider if you have blood in your urine or swelling of your body.
If you have lupus nephritis, contact your provider if you notice decreased urine output.
Treating lupus may help prevent or delay onset of lupus nephritis.
Summary: The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if cenerimod, on top of regular treatment, works to treat active lupus nephritis in adults with systemic lupus erythematosus and active lupus nephritis. It will also learn about the safety of cenerimod. The main questions it aims to answer are: * Does cenerimod improve kidney function in participants? * What medical problems do participants have when tak...
Summary: This study is researching a particular group of experimental drugs administered for a short period in the treatment of participants with Lupus Nephritis (LN). The main aim of the current study is to see how safe and tolerable the study drugs are in a long-term follow-up. This is a main study, called an umbrella study, which includes several independent smaller sub-studies. Each of these smaller ma...
Published Date: September 02, 2025
Published By: Walead Latif, MD, Nephrologist and Clinical Associate Professor, Rutgers Medical School, Newark, NJ. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Sammaritano LR, Askanase A, Bermas BL, et al. 2024 American College of Rheumatology guideline for the screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2025;77(9):1045-1065. PMID: 40331662 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40331662/.
Malvar A, Alberton V, Rovin BH. Lupus nephritis. In: Johnson RJ, Floege J, Tonelli M, eds. Comprehensive Clinical Nephrology. 7th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 27.
Radhakrishnan J, Stokes MB. Glomerular disorders and nephrotic syndromes. In: Goldman L, Cooney KA, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 27th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2024:chap 107.