Egyptian children with SLE appear to have severe disease on presentation with high SLEDAI scores and high prevalence of lupus nephritis, but respond well to therapy with a favorable short-term prognosis.

Juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (jSLE) is a multisystem autoimmune disease of unpredicted course and prognosis. Rates of organ involvement in SLE are higher in children, and overt lupus nephropathy is more often a presenting manifestation of SLE in children than adults. Inflammatory soluble chemokine CXC motif-ligand 16 (sCXCL16) is an important pathogenic mediator in inflammatory diseases as SLE. Herein, we aimed to evaluate serum level of sCXCL16 in jSLE patients in comparison to healthy controls and to correlate it with disease activity and extent of cutaneous and renal affection, to detect its possible role in disease pathogenesis. Serum level of sCXCL16 was determined by ELISA in 27 patients with jSLE (mean age 12.35 years ± 2.26 SD) in addition to 30 age- and sex-matched healthy controls and correlated with clinical and laboratory parameters in lupus group. Serum sCXCL16 was significantly higher in jSLE patients than controls (P ≤ 0.001), and it correlated positively with SLE disease activity, severity of lupus nephritis, 24-h urinary protein, anti-dsDNA titre, blood pressure, and ESR, while it correlated negatively with serum C3 levels. Serum sCXCL16 was higher in jSLE patients with alopecia and malar erythema. Serum sCXCL16 might play a role in inflammatory pathogenesis of jSLE particularly in periods of disease activity. It might serve as a future useful laboratory test for detection of jSLE activity, renal insult, and its severity which might limit the need for invasive renal biopsies in such a delicate patient population.

Background Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex autoimmune disease that occurs worldwide in both children and adults, with different disease manifestations, activity and severity between them. Objectives To analyse the difference in disease onset patterns and activity in Egyptian children and adults with SLE. Methods A retrospective cohort study conducted on 298 Egyptian SLE patients, 215 adults (a-SLE) (>18 years) and 83 children (j-SLE) (≤18 years). Disease onset, clinical manifestations and laboratory investigations were recorded. The systemic lupus erythematosus disease activity index (SLEDAI) was used to assess disease onset activity; renal biopsy was performed for all cases affected with renal symptoms. Results A total of 215 a-SLE (F/M: 14.4/1), mean age 29.65 ± 10.235 years, and 83 j-SLE (F/M: 5.4/1), mean age at diagnosis 12.63 ± 3.112 years. The most frequent initial a-SLE symptoms were constitutional (88.8%), mucocutaneous (71.2%), haematological (64.2%), articular (62.3%), renal (43.7%), vascular (15.3%), serositis (14.4%) and finally central nervous system (11.6%). There were no significant differences between a-SLE and j-SLE with regard to constitutional, mucocutaneous, renal, vascular and serositis manifestations, which were 92.8%, 74.7%, 53%, 16.9% and 10.8%, respectively, but the j-SLE haematological (88%) and central nervous system (30.1%) manifestations were significantly higher than a-SLE and articular manifestations were significantly lower in j-SLE (14.5%) than a-SLE. Antinuclear antibodies were positive for 95.3% of a-SLE and 97.6% of j-SLE. Anti-dsDNA was positive for 84.7% a-SLE and was significantly higher in j-SLE (92.8%). The SLEDAI score was 12.23 ± 4.966 in a-SLE and was significantly higher in j-SLE (27.13 ± 19.968). International Society of Nephrology lupus nephritis classes III and IV (42.4%) were the commonest findings in a-SLE; however, classes I and III (57.9%) were the commonest in j-SLE. Conclusions SLE had a wide variety of clinical and immunological manifestations, with some similarity and differences between a-SLE and j-SLE; juvenile onset lupus had a higher SLEDAI with more aggressive initial manifestations than a-SLE.

Background Lupus podocytopathy (LP) is a renal affection described in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with nephrotic range proteinuria, characterized by diffuse foot process effacement without immune deposits and glomerular proliferation. This study describes LP, its pathological features and outcomes of pediatric (p-SLE) patients in comparison to the usual lupus nephritis (LN) cases. Methodology A retrospective cohort study conducted on a 10-year registration (2010–2019) of 140 p-SLE patients at the Pediatric Department, Tanta University. Histopathological analysis with light microscopy (LM) and immunofluorescence (IF) of all renal biopsies were evaluated according to the International Society of Nephrology Renal Pathology Society (ISN/RPS) grading system. In addition, some biopsies were examined with electron microscopy (EM). Results Eighty-six p-SLE cases (61.4%) had renal involvement; seventy-nine biopsies (91.86%) of them met the classification criteria of LN as defined by ISN/RPS system. Five biopsies were normal (MCD) and two showed focal segmental sclerosis (FSGN) that did not meet any known classification of LN. Hence, they were reevaluated using EM that revealed diffuse effaced podocytes without glomerular sub-epithelial, endocapillary or basement membrane immune deposits, and were classified as having lupus podocytopathy, representing (8.14%) of all LN biopsies. Those seven cases showed good response to steroids with a complete remission duration of 3.40 ± 1.95 weeks. However, some case had 1–3 relapses during the duration of follow up. Conclusions LP is a spectrum of p-SLE, not an association as it is related to disease activity and its initial presentation.

Background: Development of steroid dependency is one of the difficult problems in the management of children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, leading to increased morbidity, complications and cost of treatment. Thus, predicting early in the disease course will be useful in counseling parents and may improve treatment strategy. Objectives: To determine the clinical characteristics that can predict the development of steroid dependency early in the initial episodes of steroid sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS). Patients and Methods: The study included 52 children with SSNS. Their ages ranged from 3 to 16 years. Patients were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 24 patients with steroid dependency or frequent relapses nephrotic syndrome and group B consisted of 28 patients with complete remission or recurrent nephrotic syndrome. Data obtained retrospectively from patients’ files. Results: Children who require a cumulative steroid dose equal or more than 140 mg/kg to maintain remission during the first 6 months of the disease are at high risk to require steroid sparing agents (SSA) for disease control, and who did not achieve remission by day 20 of the initial prednisone course became steroid dependent with 96% specificity but with low sensitivity (50%). All steroid dependent children in this study showed relapses associated significantly with upper respiratory tract infections. Conclusions: Cumulative steroid dose in the first 6 months of treatment and the need of more than 20 days to achieve initial remission can predict steroid dependency in children with nephrotic syndrome.