Urinary Vitamin D Binding Protein Level in Egyptian Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Potential Biomarker for Lupus Nephritis and its Association with Renal Activity

Elshahat A. Yousef, Department of Internal Medicine, Mansoura Nephrology and Dialysis Unit (MNDU), Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
Eman Nagy, Department of Internal Medicine, Mansoura Nephrology and Dialysis Unit (MNDU), Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
Omnia M. El Sayed Mohamed, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt.
Mohamed S. Elghonimy, Department of Clinical Pathology (Hematology), Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, Egypt
Marwa Saleh, Department of Internal Medicine, Mansoura Nephrology and Dialysis Unit (MNDU), Faculty of Medicine, Mansoura University, EgyptFollow

Subject Area

Nephrology

Article Type

Original Study

Abstract

Background : Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune inflammatory disease affecting various organs, notably the kidneys, leading to lupus Nephritis (LN) in approximately half of patients. Early and accurate diagnosis of lupus nephritis (LN) and initiation of therapy are crucial steps in halting disease progression. Despite its value as a gold standard for diagnosing, classifying, and guiding treatment for LN patients, renal biopsy is expensive, carries risks, and cannot expect the response to immunosuppressive therapy. Methods : The study included 80 SLE patients; 60 patients were biopsy-proven LN (30 patients with active LN, and 30 patients with LN in remission), and 20 without LN. After complete history taking and clinical examination, laboratory investigations were done including measurement of urinary VDBP. The SLE disease activity, and renal disease activity were assessed using SLEDAI and renal SLEDAI score respectively. Results : Urinary VDBP was significantly higher in LN group with median 3.33(2.67- 4.53) μg/ml when compared to SLE group without LN with median 2.35(1.40-3.22) μg/ml. However, there were no statistically significant differences in urinary VDBP level between active and remission LN groups, although it was, to some extent, higher in active LN group with median 3.58(2.73-4.83) μg/ml and 3.23(1.94-4.25) μg/ml in remission group. Urinary VDBP at cut-off value of 2.12 showed 100% sensitivity and 50% specificity in identifying cases with active LN. Conclusion : Higher urinary VDBP levels may be a potential marker for newly developed LN among SLE patients.

Recommended Citation

Yousef, Elshahat A.; Nagy, Eman; Mohamed, Omnia M. El Sayed; Elghonimy, Mohamed S.; and Saleh, Marwa (2024) "Urinary Vitamin D Binding Protein Level in Egyptian Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Patients: A Potential Biomarker for Lupus Nephritis and its Association with Renal Activity," Mansoura Medical Journal: Vol. 53 : Iss. 2 , Article 6.
Available at: https://doi.org/10.58775/2735-3990.1419