Vascular endothelial growth factor as a prognostic marker of lupus nephritis.

In kidneys from patients with lupus nephritis, Avihingsanon et al. report that decreased renal expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) may be a protective mechanism against renal damage and a predictive factor for loss of kidney function. This finding could be an important tool for understanding the role of VEGF in renal disease and for the early detection of lupus nephritis, as the long-term prognosis still remains poor despite improvement in medium-term survival of patients.