Elahi T, Ahmed S, Mubarak M. Lupus nephritis and kidney transplantation: A narrative review of patient and graft outcomes. World J Nephrol 2026; 15(2): 117073 [DOI: 10.5527/wjn.v15.i2.117073]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Tabassum Elahi, Professor, Department of Nephrology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Chand Bibi Road, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan. elahitabassum@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Transplantation
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review-article
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Elahi T, Ahmed S, Mubarak M. Lupus nephritis and kidney transplantation: A narrative review of patient and graft outcomes. World J Nephrol 2026; 15(2): 117073 [DOI: 10.5527/wjn.v15.i2.117073]
World J Nephrol. Jun 25, 2026; 15(2): 117073 Published online Jun 25, 2026. doi: 10.5527/wjn.v15.i2.117073
Lupus nephritis and kidney transplantation: A narrative review of patient and graft outcomes
Tabassum Elahi, Saima Ahmed, Muhammed Mubarak
Tabassum Elahi, Saima Ahmed, Department of Nephrology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
Muhammed Mubarak, Department of Histopathology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan
Co-first authors: Tabassum Elahi and Saima Ahmed.
Author contributions: Elahi T, Ahmed S, and Mubarak M actively participated in the conceptualization and planning of the study; Elahi T and Ahmed S performed the literature search and prepared the initial draft of the manuscript, and they contributed equally to this manuscript as co-first authors; Mubarak M meticulously revised and refined the manuscript. All authors reviewed and approved the final version.
AI contribution statement: AI-based tools such as Grammarly were used. These tools were employed solely for language polishing and/or translation to improve readability and clarity. We hope this clarifies the contribution of AI tools in the preparation of our manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Tabassum Elahi, Professor, Department of Nephrology, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, Chand Bibi Road, Karachi 74200, Sindh, Pakistan. elahitabassum@gmail.com
Received: November 27, 2025 Revised: December 13, 2025 Accepted: February 4, 2026 Published online: June 25, 2026 Processing time: 197 Days and 6.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Kidney transplantation is the preferred treatment for lupus nephritis progressing to end-stage kidney disease, though its survival benefit in lupus nephritis end-stage kidney disease remains uncertain. Achieving disease quiescence before transplantation is critical, yet emerging evidence supports preemptive transplantation and personalized immunosuppressive regimens to enhance outcomes. New therapies such as voclosporin and belimumab, together with biomarkers like urinary monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, matrix metalloproteinase-7, and B-cell activating factor, show promise for improving patient selection, monitoring disease activity, and predicting recurrence. Careful integration of updated guidelines and recent evidence is essential to optimize both patient and graft survival.
