Analysis of Clinicopathological Characteristics and Its Correlation With the Prognosis of Pediatric Lupus Nephritis: A Tertiary Care Center Experience

Aim To study the various pathological patterns of pediatric lupus nephritis (LN) by renal biopsies and to correlate the histopathological data with the clinical and biochemical outcomes. Methods This is a retrospective study in children between 1 month and 18 years of age with renal biopsy-proven lupus nephritis, conducted between January 2015 and December 2019. Various pathological and clinical parameters were compared between the groups with lupus nephritis activity and those without activity. Results Of 38 biopsy-proven lupus nephritis cases, 30 (78.9%) were in the adolescent age group, and the female gender was predominantly affected (n=30; 78.9%). Class IV proliferative lupus nephritis (n=17, 44.7%) was the most common biopsy finding, and the activity score for endocapillary hypercellularity, neutrophil infiltration, fibrinoid necrosis, hyaline deposits, and interstitial inflammation was significantly high in classes III and IV. Overall, attaining remission was less, and the risk of progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) was higher in class IV (n=3; 7.8%). Mortality was reported in 1 out of 38 (2.6%) children. Conclusion Light microscopy and immunofluorescence studies play an important role in defining the extent of renal damage in the form of activity and chronicity indices, which are the key factors in the decision-making of lupus nephritis treatment. The prognostic relevance of the histological scoring has been evaluated, and it is evident that the activity index and chronicity index go a long way in therapeutic intervention.