Value of a complete or partial remission in severe lupus nephritis.

Background And Objectives: The value of a complete remission in severe lupus nephritis is well known but little is known about the impact of a partial remission in this patient population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the long-term prognosis of achieving a complete or partial remission in a well-defined group of patients with severe lupus nephritis.

Design, Setting, Participants, & Measurements: In this study, 86 patients with diffuse lupus glomerulonephritis were reviewed for assessment of the value of a partial remission (50% reduction in baseline proteinuria to < or =1.