Sheffield Kidney Institute

Although the term “lupus erythematosus” was introduced by 19th-century physicians to describe skin lesions, it took almost 100 years to realize that the disease is systemic and spares no organ and that it is caused by an aberrant autoimmune response.¹ The clinical heterogeneity of the disease forced the establishment of 11 criteria (Table 1), with 4 needed for the formal diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).² The involvement of vital organs and tissues such as the brain, blood, and the kidney in most patients, the vast majority of whom are women of childbearing age, impels efforts to develop diagnostic tools . . .