There are two that I deal with mostly, lupus nephritis and ANCA mediated vasculitis. Lupus is a disease where one’s immune system has rejected its own body via autoantibodies. These antibodies attack the body from the head downwards, including the brain, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, nerves, and joints. When they attack the kidneys, one will find protein and/or blood in the urine. Anyone with lupus nephritis needs to undergo a kidney biopsy to determine the class, as this will determine the choice of treatment; the most serious classes are III and IV. ANCA is another dreadful rheumatological disease that follows the same pattern as lupus nephritis in terms of diagnosis and treatment.
