Clinicopathological characteristics of lupus nephritis in Western region of Saudi Arabia: An experience from two tertiary medical centres

Background We present the clinicopathological characteristics of lupus nephritis (LN) in a subset of population from Western Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods We retrospectively analysed previously diagnosed 148 renal biopsies in cases with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) from two medical centres. Microscopic slides from these patients were retrieved and re-assessed according to the WHO and ISN/RPS classifications by histological, immunological and electron microscopic items. Clinical and laboratory findings were retrieved from patients’ medical records. Results Median age of patients years is 24 (range: 2–65), females (85.1%), and males (14.9%). The frequency of cases in each class according to WHO classification and ISN/RPS classification was nearly the same and was as follows: class I (0%), class II (12.8%), class III (8.8%), class IV (51.4%), class V (23%), and class VI (4%). For IV class, IV-G (41.9%) subcategory was higher than IV-S (9.4%). Immunofluorescence examination revealed positive staining for IgG and C3 in 98.4% and 97.6% of cases respectively. In conclusion, class IV (51.4%) is the predominant class, followed by class V (23%). Conclusion There are differences in clinicopathological data reported from this study with other studies. Continuous reporting from different national specialised nephrology centres is recommended for better elucidation of the natural history of lupus nephritis in Saudi patients.