A case report of telitacicept in the treatment of immunocompromised and refractory lupus nephritis

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a manifestation of kidney damage in systemic lupus erythematosus and is more common in Asian populations. The standard-of-care (SOC) for LN includes antimalarials, glucocorticoids, and immunosuppressants. The efficacy and safety of biologics have been validated, and they play an important role in the treatment of LN. This case report describes a patient with immunocompromised refractory LN who had repeated severe infections after SOC and visited the clinic for recurrence of LN combined with pneumonia. The patient was admitted to the hospital this time due to "recurrent rash for 15 years, edema for 2 years, and aggravation for 1 month". After anti-infective therapy, the treatment plan for glucocorticoids combined with telitacicept was individualized based on the patient's immune status, and the disease was quickly controlled. Simultaneously, it demonstrated efficacy and safety during follow-up, suggesting that telitacicept may be a new treatment option for refractory LN.