KIDNEY BIOPSY – AN IMPORTANTTOOL FOR THE DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND DETERMINATION OF THE PROGNOSIS OF PATIENTS WITH LUPUS NEPHRITIS

. Kidney damage can vary from mild to severe and occurs in 50% -70% of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) [4], more often develops during 2-3 years [2]. Lupus nephritis (LN) has various morphological manifestations with different clinical signs and consequences. Percutaneous kidney biopsy is the gold standard for the diagnosis of LN according to the WHO classification since 1974 [1]. The purpose. This review reveals the importance of kidney biopsy for diagnosis and prognosis. Material and methods. Review of contemporary and foreign literary sources; techniques – description, analysis, abstracting. Results. There are many reports of clinical using of the renal biopsy classification of LN, but the number of studies evaluating its validity is not yet sufficient. Renal biopsy of LN provides vague data, which raises serious doubts about validity and clinical use, because it can lead to serious errors during diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Conclusions. The molecular analysis of the bioptate will be the key to a personalized approach to drug selection in LN. The molecular characteristics of kidney damage available with LN will provide the necessary supplements to more accurately classify the disease, predict outcomes, and further use of new therapeutics.