Renal impairment in lupus nephritis patients is a major cause of increased morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although rituximab has been a therapeutic option for lupus nephritis, its effect on patient outcomes is not robustly investigated. This article outlines the clinical findings of a recent study which investigated the effect of rituximab in the treatment of children with Lupus nephritis. According to several reports, Lupus nephritis (LN) in childhood usually presents after the age of 10 years, and presentation under 5 years is very rare.
More males are affected than in adult-onset cases (F:M ratio 4.5:1), but the ratio is the same in prepubertal and pubertal children. The incidence of clinically evident renal disease is greater at onset than in adults (82%), the usual presentation being with proteinuria, 50% having a nephrotic syndrome. The treatment of childhood LN using steroids…
