RESEARCH ARTICLE
Concomitance of IgM and IgG anti-dsDNA Antibodies Does Not Appear to Associate to Active Lupus Nephritis
Briele Keiserman*, Maria Rita Ronchetti, Odirlei Andre Monticielo, Mauro Waldemar Keiserman , Henrique Luiz Staub
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2013Volume: 7
First Page: 101
Last Page: 104
Publisher ID: TORJ-7-101
DOI: 10.2174/1874312901307010101
Article History:
Received Date: 14/7/2013Revision Received Date: 14/10/2013
Acceptance Date: 14/10/2013
Electronic publication date: 15/11/2013
Collection year: 2013

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
Previous reports proposed that the IgM anti-dsDNA antibody is protective for lupus nephritis. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to compare clinical features of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients positive for IgG anti-dsDNA alone with those presenting both IgG and IgM anti-dsDNA. Anti-dsDNA antibodies, urinary examination and complement levels were assessed in the day of appointment. IgG and IgM anti-dsDNA antibodies were detected by indirect immunofluorescence. Fifty-eight SLE patients (93.1% female, 81% European-derived, mean age 42.8±14.7 years, mean duration of disease 10.9±8 years) positive for IgG anti-dsDNA entered the study. Of those, 15 were also positive for the IgM anti-dsDNA isotype. The group with both isotypes showed significant less frequency of active nephritis (sediment changes and proteinuria) when compared to patients with IgG anti-dsDNA alone (6.7% versus 34.9%, p=0.046). These data suggest a nephroprotective role for IgM anti-dsDNA and a distinct biologic behavior for this isotype in SLE.