Haematological manifestations in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are frequently observed. They are diverse and range from mild to severe. Therefore, different treatment approaches are needed from simply keeping vigilant to significant immunosuppression. Most treatment evidence is based on case-reports or small retrospective studies, as few randomized controlled trials have been performed. The development of biological therapy has opened new possible ways to treat the most severe cases but further clinical trials are necessary. In this review we consider the most common and characteristic haematological manifestations of SLE patients, focusing on their pathogenesis and management.

The need for effective and less toxic treatments led to the development of the role of targeted biologic therapies in LN. However, evidence from the initial randomized controlled trials has been disappointing, although this reflects inadequate trial design rather than true lack of efficacy.

Lupus nephritis (LN) is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) often leading to end-stage renal failure (ESRF) and necessitating renal transplantation (rTp). Optimal timing of rTp in SLE patients with ESRF is uncertain and could potentially affect survival. We investigated the time spent on dialysis before rTp and survival following rTp in a cohort of SLE patients. Retrospective analysis of all adult SLE patients receiving rTp over a 40-year period (1975–2015) in two tertiary UK centres. Cox proportional hazard regression and receiver operator curves (ROC) were used to determine the risk associated with time on dialysis before rTp and other potential predictors. Forty patients (age 35 ± 11 years, 34 female, 15 Caucasian, 15 Afro–Caribbean and 10 South Asian) underwent rTp. During a median follow-up of 104 months (IQR 80,145), eight (20%) patients died and the 5-year survival was 95%. Univariate analysis identified time on dialysis prior to rTp as the only potentially modifiable risk predictor of survival with a hazard ratio of 1.013 for each additional month spent on dialysis (95% CI = 1.001–1.026, p = 0.03). ROC curves demonstrated that > 24 months on dialysis had an adverse effect with sensitivity of 0.875 and specificity 0.500 for death. No other modifiable predictors were significantly associated with mortality, indicating that time on dialysis had an independent effect. Increased time on dialysis pre-transplantation is an independent modifiable risk factor of mortality in this cohort of patients with lupus nephritis.

Poor adherence to immunosuppressive treatment is common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and may identify those with lupus nephritis (LN) who have a poorer prognosis. Non-adherence has also been reported to be a potential adverse outcome predictor in renal transplantation (rTp). We investigated whether non-adherence is associated with increased rTp graft rejection and/or failure in patients with LN. Methods Patients with LN undergoing rTp in two major London hospitals were retrospectively included. Medical and electronic records were reviewed for documented concerns of nonadherence as well as laboratory biochemical drug levels. The role of non-adherence and other potential predictors of graft rejection/ failure including demographics, comorbidities, age at SLE and LN diagnosis, type of LN, time on dialysis prior to rTp and medication use were investigated using logistic regression. Results Out of 361 patients with LN, 40 had renal transplantation. During a median follow up of 8.7 years, 17/40 (42.5%) of these patients had evidence of non-adherence. A total of 12 (30.0%) patients experienced graft rejection or failure or both. In the adherent group 2/23 (8.7%) had graft rejection, whilst in the non-adherent this rose to 5/17 (29.4%, p=0.11). Graft failure was seen in 5/23 (21.7%) patients from the adherent group and 4/17 (23.5%) in the non-adherent group (p=0.89). Non-adherent patients had a trend towards increased graft rejection, hazard ratio 4.38, 95% CI=0.73-26.12, p=0.11. Patients who spent more time on dialysis prior to rTp were more likely to be adherent to medication, p=0.01. Conclusion Poor adherence to immunosuppressive therapy is common and has been shown to associate with a trend towards increased graft failure in patients with LN requiring renal transplantation. This is the first paper to report that shorter periods on dialysis prior to transplantation might lead to increased non-adherence in lupus patients.