Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39832909›Full record

ArticleLupus science & medicine2025

Outcomes following immunosuppressive therapy withdrawal after complete renal response in proliferative lupus nephritis.

Paola Vidal-Montal, Javier Narváez, Xavier Fulladosa, Francesca Mitjavila, Olga Capdevila, Joan Torras, Montserrat Gomà, Joan M Nolla

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Article in Lupus science & medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

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7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Paola Vidal-MontalDepartment of Rheumatology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0009-0003-0034-2270
Javier NarváezDepartment of Rheumatology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain fjnarvaez@bellvitgehospital.cat.ORCID 0000-0002-1614-8064
Xavier FulladosaBellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0003-1974-9874
Francesca MitjavilaBellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Olga CapdevilaBellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.ORCID 0000-0002-5517-7482
Joan TorrasBellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Montserrat GomàBellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.
Joan M NollaDepartment of Rheumatology, Bellvitge University Hospital, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo investigate the rate and factors influencing renal relapse (RR) in proliferative lupus nephritis (LN) patients who discontinued immunosuppressive therapy (IST), as well as the long-term renal outcomes following RR.

methodsRetrospective, single-centre study of biopsy-confirmed LN patients who had received IST for at least 36 months and maintained complete renal response (CRR) for a minimum of 12 months before therapy discontinuation.

resultsOf a total of 106 patients meeting the inclusion criteria, 76 with proliferative classes were selected for analysis. The median duration of IST prior to discontinuation was 83.5 months (IQR 25th-75th: 53.5-120). Relapse occurred in 29 patients (38.2%) at a median of 26.5 months (IQR 25th-75th: 9.25-63.5 months) following IST withdrawal. Relapses were classified as severe in 9 cases (31%) and moderate in 16 cases (55.2%). Renal rebiopsy was performed in 25 of these patients (86.2%), with 80% retaining the same histological class.Discontinuation of IST at ≤34 years of age significantly increased the risk of RR (adjusted HR: 3.5). In contrast, an IST duration exceeding 48 months prior to discontinuation (HR: 0.26), maintaining CRR for at least 48 months (HR: 0.32), achieving complete remission per DORIS (definition of remission in systemic lupus erythematosus) criteria at IST withdrawal (HR: 0.21) and gradual IST tapering (HR: 0.09) were associated with a reduced risk of RR.Following reintroduction of IST, 20 out of 29 patients (68.9%) achieved CRR, 5 (17.2%) achieved a partial response and 4 (13.8%) did not respond; of these, 3 patients (10.3%) progressed to end-stage renal disease.

conclusionsSuccessful withdrawal of IST is possible in carefully selected patients with proliferative LN. If an RR occurs, most patients are able to remain in remission after resuming IST.

Indexed as

Immunosuppressive AgentsLupus NephritisAdultBiopsyFemaleHumansKidneyMaleMiddle AgedRecurrenceRemission InductionRetrospective StudiesTreatment OutcomeWithholding TreatmentYoung AdultImmunosuppressive AgentsLupus Erythematosus, SystemicLupus NephritisTherapeutics

Identifiers

PMID39832909
PMCPMC11751776

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