People with lupus nephritis — a serious kidney complication of lupus — may be able to avoid long-term kidney damage by maintaining remission for at least three years. A new study linked this duration to a significantly lower risk of kidney function loss and other organ damage.

What Is Lupus Nephritis?

Lupus nephritis is a type of kidney inflammation caused by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the most common type of lupus. About half of adults and up to 80 percent of children with lupus get lupus nephritis, which can lead to serious complications such as protein in the urine, high blood pressure, and even kidney failure.

“Remission” in this study meant that for at least one year, the kidneys functioned well (estimated glomerular filtration rate, or eGFR, above 60), the urine contained little or no protein, and no signs of active lupus symptoms were present.

What the Study Found

Researchers followed 293 people who’d had lupus nephritis for a median of nearly 16 years. They tracked the length of remission and its effect on the risk of kidney or other organ damage.

Key findings included the following:

• Remission lasting at least three years was the minimum duration that clearly lowered the risk of kidney function loss.
• People with at least three years of remission also had much less overall organ damage.
• At 25 years after diagnosis, 91 percent of participants who had at least three years of remission still had healthy kidney function, compared with just 40 percent of those who never reached remission.

What This Means for People With Lupus

These study results highlight a clear goal: Try to reach at least three years of stable remission — not just to feel better now, but also to protect your kidneys and other organs in the years ahead.

Even if you’re early in your lupus nephritis journey or still working toward remission, this research shows that staying in remission over time can have a major impact. Updated treatment guidelines from the American College of Rheumatology recommend continuing therapy for three to five years to help protect kidney function and prevent lupus nephritis relapses.

Some questions you might ask your doctor include:

• Am I on track to reach remission?
• How are we monitoring my kidney function?
• What can I do to help stay in remission longer?

Managing blood pressure, sticking to your treatment plan, and getting regular checkups are all part of the big picture.

Learn eight facts about lupus nephritis and your kidneys.

Connect With Others Who Understand

On MyLupusTeam, people share their experiences with lupus nephritis, get advice, and find support.

Have you experienced remission? What helped you get there — and stay there? Let others know in the comments below.