ArticleJournal of nephrology2020
Belimumab may decrease flare rate and allow glucocorticoid withdrawal in lupus nephritis (including dialysis and transplanted patient).
Article in Journal of nephrology, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
17 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 35 citations in OpenAlex.
- Efficacy and safety of belimumab therapy in lupus nephritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Renal failure · 2023Pooled it
- Risk factors of flare in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus after glucocorticoids withdrawal. A systematic review and meta-analysis.Lupus science & medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Peritoneal dialysis in lupus nephritis: comparative outcomes vs. hemodialysis, risk stratification, and modality selection framework.Renal failure · 2026Review
- Disease-Modifying Therapies in Lupus Nephritis: A Narrative Review Evaluating Currently Used Pharmacologic Agents.Rheumatology and therapy · 2025Review
- Efficacy of belimumab on extra-renal lupus in patients with lupus nephritis and end-stage renal disease.Frontiers in medicine · 2025Article
- Serum IFN-γ Predicts the Therapeutic Effect of Belimumab in Refractory Lupus Nephritis Patients.Pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine · 2024Article
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- Tertiary lymphoid structures as local perpetuators of organ-specific immune injury: implication for lupus nephritis.Frontiers in immunology · 2023Review
- Effect and safety profile of belimumab and tacrolimus combination therapy in thirty-three patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.Clinical rheumatology · 2022Article
- Belimumab for systemic lupus erythematosus - Focus on lupus nephritis.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2022Review
- Induction and Maintenance Treatment of Lupus Nephritis: A Comprehensive Review of Meta-Analyses.Journal of clinical medicine · 2022Review
- Effectiveness and safety of Belimumab combined with standard therapy in severe active lupus nephritis requiring kidney replacement therapy: A case report and literature review.Frontiers in immunology · 2022Review
- Renal disorders in rheumatologic diseases: the spectrum is changing (Part 1: connective tissue diseases).Journal of nephrology · 2021Review
- Multicentric study comparing cyclosporine, mycophenolate mofetil and azathioprine in the maintenance therapy of lupus nephritis: 8 years follow up.Journal of nephrology · 2021Article
- The Use of Glucocorticoids in Lupus Nephritis: New Pathways for an Old Drug.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Review
- An Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Lupus Nephritis.Current rheumatology reports · 2020Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
11 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundBelimumab (Benlysta) is currently approved for the treatment of active Lupus despite standard therapy. Few data are available on the efficacy of this drug in lupus nephritis (LN).
methods17 LN female followed in two Nephrology Italian Unit received belimumab for a median period of 36 months (range 6-42 months). The indications were: arthralgia in 3 patients, cutaneous manifestations in 2, residual proteinuria in 8, and the need to reduce steroids for severe side effects in 4. Of interest, 1 patient started therapy during Peritoneal Dialysis and continued after kidney transplantation due to non-responsive arthralgias.
resultsArthralgia and skin manifestations resolved in all patients. Proteinuria normalized in three patients and stabilized in all but one of the others. Steroids were indefinitely stopped in six patients (35%) and reduced to around 40% of the basal dosage in the other patients. During belimumab therapy, three extrarenal and one renal SLE flares were diagnosed accounting for a rate of renal flares of 0.02/patient/year. No major adverse events leading to therapy withdrawal occurred. CLINICAL CASE: Arthralgia resolved, immunological parameters improved and prednisone could be reduced within few months in the patient who started belimumab during peritoneal dialysis. After kidney transplantation belimumab was stopped but due to arthralgias unresponsive to standard immunosuppressive therapy it was restarted with success.
conclusionsBelimumab allows the achievement of complete response together with the withdrawal or the reduction of corticosteroids in almost all our patients. Of interest its satisfactory use in a patient in peritoneal dialysis and after kidney transplantation.
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