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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Bridget Griffiths
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology.Objectives: Outcomes of therapy for LN are often suboptimal. Guidelines offer varied options for treatment of LN and treatment strategies may differ between clinicians and regions. We aimed to assess variations in the usual practice of UK physicians who treat LN. Methods: We conducted an online survey of simulated LN cases for UK rheumatologists and nephrologists to identify treatment preferences for class IV and class V LN. Results: Of 77 respondents, 48 (62.3%) were rheumatologists and 29 (37.7%) were nephrologists. A total of 37 (48.0%) reported having a joint clinic between nephrologists and rheumatologists, 54 (70.0%) reported having a multidisciplinary team meeting for LN and 26 (33.7%) reported having a specialized lupus nurse. Of the respondents, 58 (75%) reported arranging a renal biopsy before starting the treatment. A total of 20 (69%) of the nephrologists, but only 13 (27%) rheumatologists, reported having a formal departmental protocol for treating patients with LN (P < 0.001). The first-choice treatment of class IV LN in pre-menopausal patients was MMF [41 (53.2%)], followed by CYC [15 (19.6%)], rituximab [RTX; 12 (12.5%)] or a combination of immunosuppressive drugs [9 (11.7%)] with differences between nephrologists’ and rheumatologists’ choices (P ¼ 0.026). For class V LN, MMF was the preferred initial treatment, irrespective of whether proteinuria was in the nephrotic range or not. RTX was the preferred second-line therapy for non-responders. Conclusion: There was variation in the use of protocols, specialist clinic service provision, biopsies and primary and secondary treatment choices for LN reported by nephrologists and rheumatologists in the UK.
Author(s): Ibrahim ST, Edwards CJ, Ehrenstein MR, Griffiths B, Gordon C, Hewins P, Jayne D, Lightstone L, McLaren Z, Rhodes B, Vital EM, Reynolds JA
Publication type: Article
Publication status: Published
Journal: Rheumatology Advances in Practice
Year: 2024
Volume: 8
Issue: 1
Online publication date: 09/02/2024
Acceptance date: 21/01/2024
Date deposited: 25/03/2024
ISSN (electronic): 2514-1775
Publisher: Oxford University Press
URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/rap/rkae017
DOI: 10.1093/rap/rkae017
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