Lupus Glomerulonephritis

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Abstract
IN RECENT years it has become apparent that renal disease is one of the chief causes of morbidity and the major cause of death in systemic lupus erythematosus.1,2Corticosteroids have been used extensively in the treatment of systemic lupus erythematosus and have been successful in controlling or suppressing clinical symptoms. Even though patients with lupus nephritis can be maintained relatively symptom-free with small doses of corticosteroids, the structural damage to the kidney progresses rapidly. In 1961, Pollak et al,3reported on the effect of large doses of prednisone on the renal lesions and life span of patients with lupus glomerulonephritis. They closely followed 16 patients for six months and reported that histological signs of activity either disappeared or decreased in 10 of the 16 patients. The purpose of this report is to describe the beneficial effects of long-term high dose corticosteroid therapy on renal function and the renal