Effect of renal replacement therapy on immune factors and antibody levels in patients with lupus nephritis

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of renal replacement therapy on immune factors and antibody levels in patients with lupus nephritis. Methods 110 patients with lupus nephritis treated at our hospital from July, 2014 to August, 2017 were chosen as study objects, and were divided into a control group and a research group, 55 cases for each group. The control group were treated with routine treatment; and the research group were treated with renal replacement therapy on the basis of the control group. After 4 weeks’ treatment, the immune factors and antibody levels, and improvements of renal function were compared between the two group. Results There were no statistical differences in the expressions of immune factors between the two groups before the treatment (all P>0.05). After the treatment, the levels of IgG [(10.35±2.32) g/L vs. (14.64±2.73) g/L], IgA [(1.72±0.34) g/L vs. (2.24±0.48)g/L], and IgM [(0.73±0.21)g/L vs. (1.16±0.36)g/L] were lower and the levels of C3 [(0.51±0.12) g/L vs. (0.37±0.11) g/L] and C4 [(0.16±0.07) g/L vs. (0.12±0.04) g/L] were higher in the research group than in the control group (all P 0.05). After the treatment, the levels of anti-C1q antibody [(34.52±7.13) IU/ml vs. (98.75±10.64) IU/ml], anti-ds-DNA antibody [(101.31±28.76) IU/ml vs. (124.26±21.53) IU/ml], and anti-nucleosome antibody [(53.81±8.94) IU/ml vs. (88.25±14.82) IU/ml] were lower in the research group than in the control group (all P 0.05). After the treatment, the SLEDAI score [(6.26±2.53) vs. (8.84±2.37)] and the levels of urine protein [(0.73±0.21) g/24 h vs. (1.28±0.26) g/24 h], urea nitrogen [(9.61±3.15) mmol/L vs. (11.04±3.22) mmol/L], and creatinine [(141.67±65.42) μmol/L vs. (167.58±70.03) μmol/L] were lower in the research group than in the control group (t=5.519, 12.204, 2.354, and 2.005, all P<0.05). Conclusion Renal replacement therapy can effectively improve the expressions of antibodies and immune factors in lupus nephritis patients, and improve their renal function and clinical symptoms. Key words: Lupus nephritis; Renal replacement therapy; Antibodies; Immune