Reactivation of Systemic Lupus in three Patients Undergoing CAPD

Generally patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) due to lupus nephritis, have minimal extrarenal disease activity <Juring hemodialysis. This may be related to immunological changes secondary to chronic renal failure or the dialysis procedure itself, or both. This paper describes three patients with lupus nephritis undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) in whom we observed reactivation of SLE, by both clinical and serological criteria. This may suggest that in patients undergoing CAPD the immune system is more nearly intact than in hemodialysis. These cases should heighten awareness that patients may suffer flare-ups of SLE during CAPD even long after the onset of renal failure.