Insights into SLE & Lupus Nephritis From the 2025 Review Course

Dr. Ardoin also discussed the situation in which a patient’s laboratory studies and physical exam look good, but they feel poorly. In such cases, she recommended that the rheumatologist consider different etiologies of the patient’s not feeling well, including medication side effects, fibromyalgia/amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome, depression, adrenal insufficiency, other medical conditions that may arise secondary to the effects of SLE and life stressors.

Jason Liebowitz, MD, FACR, is an assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Rheumatology at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York.

References

1. Franklyn K, Lau CS, Navarra SV, et al. Definition and initial validation of a Lupus Low Disease Activity State (LLDAS). Ann Rheum Dis. 2016 Sep;75(9):1615–1621.
2. Sammaritano LR Askanase A, Bermas, BL, et al. 2024 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guideline for the screening, treatment, and management of lupus nephritis. https://rheumatology.org/lupus-guideline.
3. Fanouriakis A, Kostopoulou M, Anders H_J, et al. EULAR recommendations for the management of systemic lupus erythematosus with kidney involvement: 2025 update. Ann Rheum Dis. 2025 Oct 16:S0003-4967(25)04412-7. Online ahead of print.

Reprinted and adapted from an article on The Rheumatologist’s website, https://www.the-rheumatologist.org/article/reflections-on-b-cells-in-sle-looking-back-and-looking-ahead.