Utility of Non-albumin Proteinuria for the Assessment of the Severity of Tubulointerstitial Inflammation in Lupus Nephritis Patients.

Background Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) that can involve all kidney components. The International Society of Nephrology/Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) 2003 lupus nephritis classification only focuses on glomerular involvement, although tubulointerstitial inflammation (TI) is a better predictor of renal failure.  Objective To determine the association of non-albumin proteinuria (NAP) and severity of tubulointerstitial inflammation in lupus nephritis patients.