Steroid Monotherapy for the Treatment for Pure Membranous Lupus Nephritis: A Case Series of 5 Patients and Review of the Literature

Introduction: The benefi t of combination immunosuppression versus steroid monotherapy in pure membranous lupus nephritis (MLN) remains unclear. Steroid monotherapy could potentially reduce exposure to excessive immunosuppression in patients achieving remission with this strategy. The aim of this study was to defi ne patient characteristics and outcomes in MLN treated with steroid monotherapy. Method: A retrospective, observational study identifi ed all biopsy-proven pure MLN cases followed since 1990 in a single center. Demographic, clinical and histological data were gathered for patients treated with daily steroid monotherapy. The primary outcome of interest was the reduction in proteinuria, reported as complete remission (CR), partial remission (PR) or no response.