A North American perspective of content and quality of websites in the English language on childhood-onset lupus erythematosus.

Objective The objective of this article is to examine the quality, content, and readability of information and resources in the English language and accessible on the internet by pediatric patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and their families in North America. Methods Keywords relevant to SLE were generated by an undergraduate student, a first-year medical student, and a third-year pediatric resident, and a search was conducted across five commonly used search engines. Quality of information found was evaluated independently by an undergraduate student, a graduate student, a first-year medical student, and a third-year pediatric resident using the DISCERN tool. Two pediatric rheumatologists assessed website accuracy and completeness. Readability of websites was determined using the Flesch-Kincaid grade level and Reading Ease score. Results Out of 2000 websites generated in the search, only 34 unique websites met inclusion criteria. Only 16 of these websites had DISCERN scores above 50% (fair quality). Overall quality of website information was fair with mean ±standard deviation (SD) DISCERN quality score of 44 ± 7 (range: 30-56). Only nine websites of 34 had DISCERN scores above 50 (>66%, indicating greater quality) and were further assessed for completeness. Flesch-Kincaid grade level was 11 ± 1 (mean±SD) and reading ease score was 39 ± 10 (mean±SD, range of 11-61). Conclusion Our study highlights the need for more complete, readable information regarding the unique needs of pediatric patients with childhood-onset SLE and their families.

Clinical characteristics of children with membranous lupus nephritis: the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance Legacy Registry.

Objective The objective of this article is to describe and compare clinical features, treatment, and renal outcomes of children with membranous lupus nephritis (MLN), through analysis of a national multicenter registry. Methods Patients with pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and MLN from the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) Legacy Registry were included. Demographic, disease and medication-related data were collected between 2010 and 2014 from 59 CARRA Legacy Registry sites. Results A total of 132 individuals had MLN, either in isolation or in combination with proliferative LN. Seventy-four patients had pure MLN. The proportion of patients with daily corticosteroid treatment was similar among groups (96%, 91%, and 96%, for class III+V, IV+V, and V, respectively, p = 0.67). Proportion of individuals exposed to any disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) or biologic was similar among the three groups (83%, 91%, 95% for class III+V, IV+V, and V, respectively, p = 0.189). Proportion of patients with decreased glomerular filtration rate (less than 90 ml/min/1.73 m2) was significantly different among groups (4%, 38%, and 4%, for class III+V, IV+V, and V, respectively, p < 0.0001). Conclusion This is the largest reported cohort of children with MLN. More research is needed to understand treatment practices for pediatric MLN, particularly decisions related to pharmacologic treatment of pure MLN. More work is also needed to identify prognostic factors and predictors of outcome for pediatric MLN. Future observational studies will be a first step toward understanding and formulating a standardized approach to treatment of pediatric membranous LN and allowing for the initiation of prospective comparative effectiveness studies and interventional trials.

Comparison of renal response parameters for juvenile membranous plus proliferative lupus nephritis versus isolated proliferative lupus nephritis: a cross-sectional analysis of the CARRA Registry.

Lupus nephritis (LN) affects many patients with juvenile systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and is a significant cause of disease morbidity. Membranous plus proliferative LN (M + PLN) may represent a more difficult to treat subtype of juvenile LN, compared to isolated proliferative LN (PLN). In this retrospective observational study, we utilized data from the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatism Research Alliance (CARRA) registry to compare response rates for pediatric M + PLN versus PLN. Response was assessed at the most recent CARRA registry visit gathered ≥6 months after diagnostic kidney biopsy. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR) less than 90 ml/min/1.73 m(2), indicating renal insufficiency, was found in 16.1% of patients with M + PLN and 6.1% of patients with PLN (P = 0.071). We found no significant difference in achievement of response in either hematuria or proteinuria between PLN and M + PLN groups or between subgroups determined by presence of class III vs. class IV proliferative disease. Exposure rates to mycophenolate, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab were similar between groups. Future studies will be necessary to correlate pediatric LN renal histology data with treatment response as well as other disease outcome measures.