Lupus nephritis and lupus band test.

Twenty-seven patients with histologically confirmed lupus nephritis were studied to identify the incidence of lupus band and its significance to histological patterns of nephritis and complement levels. It was found that the kidney involvement is 2.5 times more frequent in lupus band positive patients. The association of a positive lupus and low C3 level signifies the presence of diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis rather than membranous glomerulonephritis. The results, together with earlier reports, are discussed.