الفهرس 
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Abstract
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease that is characterized by autoantibody production, complement activation, and immune complex deposition leading to diverse clinical manifestations and target tissue damage. (Helmick CG, et al. 2008). Pathogenesis of SLE is associated with functional disorders of multiple immunologic components, especially defects in immune regulatory networks (Chai HC et al., 2012). Cytotoxic T lymphocyte antigen 4 (CTLA4) molecule has a suppressive effect on T cell activation and might contribute to maintain immune tolerance. (Harley JB et al., 2006). Cytokines also have an important role in immune system dysregulation in SLE because they act on the differentiation, maturation, and activation of several effector cells, culminating in inflammation and subsequent tissue damage. (Cavalcanti et al., 2017) Sixty patients with SLE and 30 healthy children of matched age and sex serving as a control group were included in the study. The patients were subdivided to 33, 27 patients having active and inactive disease respectively. The presence of lupus nephritis was confirmed by renal biopsy and histopathological examination. The SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) score for each patient was used to evaluate disease activity. Routine laboratory investigations, immunological screen for SLE activity including serum C3, C4 level, Anti ds DNA level, urine analysis and 24 hour urinary protein collection were done