New research on Lupus-related Kidney Disease

Those suffering with lupus know that there are many problematic conditions that can arise because of the disease which affect other parts of the body, such as organs, joints, and muscles. One of these complications is kidney disease, which is common and occurs in many patients with lupus. A new disease mechanism and therapeutic approach for a particular type of lupus-related kidney disease has recently been discovered, leading researchers to look at different links between the two conditions. A study conducted at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York found that rather than trying to block inflammation, which is the standard treatment practice for lupus-related kidney disease, doctors may want to instead target the macrophages, which are specific types of white blood cells involved with the disease.

Although the medical establishment has known about how lupus can trigger kidney disease for some time, researchers and doctors have not known much about a particular version of the disease, proliferative crescentric disease. This particular type of kidney disease is marked by an abnormal growth of kidney cells, leading to detrimental internal kidney damage, often leading to kidney failure, dialysis, transplantation, and death. Researchers were prompted to conduct a study to understand whether type I interferons directly impact the kidneys. These types of interferons have been found to promote the autoimmunity that is found in lupus patients. Therefore, the researchers wanted to see if the same interferon mechanism promoted kidney disease in people with lupus.

The study examined lupus mouse models, in which they increased interferon production, thereby causing kidney disease to develop rapidly. They then monitored the disease by taking blood samples and analyzing the kidneys and microphages. In the specific lupus kidney disease they were examining, a radical crescent cell is present that decreases the effectiveness of the glomerulus, the basic filtration system of the kidney. The research team in this study found that these radical crescents developed due to infiltrating microphages. Most importantly, through, they found that these infiltrating microphages were a direct result of type I interferons. Additionally, the microphages were not the common inflammatory kind, but the types that help to produce cells and healing in the body.

The hope is that the discovery of these unique microphages and interferons will lead to a new drug designed to inhibit the growth factors that they produce. Understanding how the disease proliferates will likely lead to new therapies, and possibly preventative measures. Having to suffer from lupus is difficult enough without having the additional pain associated with kidney disease. Knowing how the cells operate between the two will hopefully lead to much needed relief for those suffering from their effects.