Severe inflammation of the kidney can indicate the serious, negative prognosis of lupus nephritis when present in conjunction with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease that can affect any part of the body, most often harming the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. This book pulls together in one comprehensive reference the current knowledge regarding the inherited and immunologic abnormalities that have been identified in SLE, with specific reference to the development of renal disease and the way in...