Anti-C1q Antibodies as Markers of Renal Involvement in Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Bolivar City, Venezuela

Background and objectives: Lupus nephritis is one of the most common complications of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, due to the accumulation of immunocomplexes of antigens and antibodies at the renal level.In the laboratory, serum anti-C1q antibody levels have become an important tool for monitoring and management of this disease.This study evidences the levels of anti-C1q as a marker of renal involvement in patients with SLE.Patients and methods:The study was descriptive and cross-sectional.The sample consisted of 44 patients who met the proposed inclusion criteria.Results: 90.91% of the patients were female and the remaining 9.09% were male.Regarding age, the predominant age group was 38 -54 years 52.27%.100% of the participants reported being Hispanic.The frequency of anti-C1q was 38.63%.The levels of anti-C1q antibodies were related to the results of C3, C4, anti-DNAs and urinary sediment which were statistically significant (p < 0.05) according to fisher's exact test.Conclusions: Anti-C1q antibodies are significant as markers of renal involvement in lupus patients, when performed in conjunction with complement fractions c3 and c4, anti-DNAs antibodies.