Abstract:

A 37yearold female patient presented with nephrotic syndrome, malar rash and serum positive antinuclear antibody. Renal biopsy showed mild mesangial proliferation with negative findings on IF and EM, EM showed diffuse effacement of the podocyte foot processes. She was diagnosed as lupus podocytopathy and was highly responsive to steroids treatment but she suffered from frequently relapse even in the combination therapy with prednisone plus other immunosuppressant. After the eighth relapse with nephrotic syndrome she received rituximab treatment and was followed up for 24 months, during which time she maintained complete remission even prednisone dosage was reduced to 5 mg/d. The successful treatment of this case indicates that rituximab may be effective in preventing the renal relapse of lupus podocytopathy.

Key words: systemic lupus erythematosus, lupus podocytopathy, rituximab