Association of anti C1q and ds-DNA levels with the pathogenesis of Lupus Nephritis among SLE patients

Background: Lupus nephritis (LN) is the most common and serious complication associated with SLE and it results in significant morbidity and mortality. It is known by several studies that patients of LN have higher levels of anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q compared with SLE patients without renal involvement. The current study was designed to determine and compare the level of anti-dsDNA and anti-C1q in patients of SLE with and without lupus nephritis in the Pakistani population. This current study was also aimed at providing proof that anti-C1q levels are more prominent in LN/non-LN SLE as compared to anti-dsDNA. This project may help in the determination of results in Pakistan and contribute to the further confirmation of the sensitivity of anti-C1q. Method: The patient samples were collected from Sheikh Zayed hospital, Lahore. These patients were clinically diagnosed by the Rheumatologists as SLE and LN positive on the basis of ACR and SLEDAI scoring criteria. This study was performed and samples were analyzed in the Department of Medical and Laboratory Sciences, Imperial College of Business Study, Lahore on the patient’s serum by ELISA technique. Result: About 38% (12) patients with LN were positive for anti-dsDNA and 31% (9) SLE patients without LN were positive whereas about 38.7% (12) were anti-dsDNA negative in LN cases and 58.6% (17) in SLE without LN. In case of anti-C1q 100% (31) of these LN patients were positive and 93.1% (27) patients SLE without LN showed positive anti C1q results. Only 6.9% (2) patients showed negative results for anti-C1q in LN negative patients Conclusion: The higher levels of anti-C1q suggest that it may be a better diagnostic marker for LN than that of anti-dsDNA and that it can be helpful in the prognosis of SLE patients.