2024 American College of Rheumatology (<scp>ACR</scp>) Guideline for the Screening, Treatment, and Management of Lupus Nephritis
Lisa R. Sammaritano, Anca Askanase, Bonnie L. Bermas, Maria Dall’Era, Alí Duarte‐García, Linda T. Hiraki, Brad H. Rovin, Mary Beth F. Son, Anthony Alvarado, Cynthia Aranow, April Barnado, Anna Broder, Hermine I. Brunner, Vaidehi Chowdhary, Gabriel Contreras, Christele Felix, Elizabeth D. Ferucci, Keisha L. Gibson, Aimee O. Hersh, Peter Izmirly, Kenneth Kalunian, Diane L. Kamen, Brandi Rollins, Benjamin J. Smith, Asha Thomas, Homa Timlin, Daniel J. Wallace, Michael D. Ward, Muayad Azzam, Christie M. Bartels, Joanne S. Cunha, Kimberly DeQuattro, Andrea Fava, Gabriel Figueroa‐Parra, Shivani Garg, Jessica Greco, María C. Cuéllar‐Gutiérrez, Priyanka Iyer, Andrew Johannemann, April Jorge, S.Psi. Taufik Kasturi, Hassan Kawtharany, Jana Khawandi, Kyriakos A. Kirou, Alexandra Legge, Kelly V. Liang, Megan M. Lockwood, Alain Sánchez-Rodríguez, Marat Turgunbaev, Jessica N. Williams, Amy S. Turner, Reem A. Mustafa
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The objective is to provide evidence-based and expert guidance for the screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis. METHODS: The Core Team developed clinical questions for screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis using the PICO format (population, intervention, comparator, and outcome). Systematic literature reviews were completed for each PICO question, and the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology was used to assess the quality of evidence and to formulate recommendations. The Voting Panel achieved a consensus ≥70% on the direction (for or against) and strength (strong or conditional) of each recommendation. RESULTS: We present 28 graded recommendations (7 strong, 21 conditional) and 13 ungraded, consensus-based good practice statements for the screening and management of lupus nephritis. Our recommendations focus on the unifying principle that lupus nephritis therapy is continuous and ongoing, rather than consisting of discrete induction/initial and maintenance/subsequent therapies. Therapy should include pulse glucocorticoids followed by oral glucocorticoid taper and two additional immunosuppressive agents for 3-5 years for those achieving complete renal response. CONCLUSION: This guideline provides direction for clinicians regarding screening and treatment decisions for management of lupus nephritis. These recommendations should not be used to limit or deny access to therapies, as treatment decisions may vary due to the unique clinical situation and personal preferences of each individual patient.