Background: Lupus nephritis can be seen in up to 60% of all SLE patients with
10–15% of nephritis patients progress to end-stage renal disease, late diagnosis of
lupus nephritis is correlated with a higher frequency of renal insufficiency. The study
aim is determination of the value of Urinary Human Epidermal Growth Factor (urinary
EGF) as an early biomarker of lupus nephritis in SLE patients and its relevance to
disease activity and renal histopathology.
Results: the study included 58 SLE patients and 30 healthy control, a significant
difference was noticed between SLE and controls in urinary protein, creatinine,
protein/creatinine ratio, and urinary EGF. The mean level of urinary EGF was less in
class IV and V renal nephritis than in class I, II and III.
A significant difference in urinary EGF (33±29, 27±16, P=0.04) between class II and
class III Lupus nephritis, with no significant differences in Urinary protein, creatinine,
Protein/creatinine ratio, SLEDAI. On the other hand, the comparison between class II
and IV showed no only significant difference in urinary EGF (33±29,
11.7±4.9, P=0,003), but also in SLEDAI (37.4±8, 70.5±27, P= 0.007), and
Protein/creatinine ratio (0.98±0.62, 3±1.8, P=0.006).
Conclusion: This study raises the attention to test the sensitivity of urinary EGF in
detecting the early and the subsequent changes in renal pathology of SLE patients as
an easy, non-invasive, accurate, cheap marker that could help in following up the
nephritis progression and adjusting the plan of treatment, also it can be used to guide
the time of biopsy or as an alternative in cases where renal biopsy is contraindicated.