Forgot Password?
Return to Course Listing

CME: From autoimmunity to action: improving recognition and advancing care in lupus nephritis

Activity Description / Statement of Need:

In this online, self-learning activity:

Lupus nephritis (LN) is a severe manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), affecting over 40% of patients with lupus. It is a major contributor to morbidity, healthcare utilization, and progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). The prevalence of LN has increased significantly over time, from 16.8 per 100,000 in 1985 to 21.2 per 100,000 more recently. The mortality rate associated with LN remains high with a standardized mortality ratio of 6.33 compared to the general population. Despite increased advances in treatments, long-term survival rates have not improved significantly over the past four decades. The 10-year survival rate is around 70%, while the incidence of progression in ESRD in LN patients affects up to 13% of patients over time.

Target Audience:

HCPs including but not limited to: rheumatologists and nephrologists; physician assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, and pharmacists who practice in the aforementioned areas of specialty; and other HCPs who have an interest in or commonly encounter patients with lupus nephritis.


Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by an educational grant from Mallinckrodt. 

This activity is free of charge.


Release Date: January 21, 2026 -- Expiration Date: January 21, 2028

Faculty: Fahmeedah Kamal, MD

Agenda

Faculty introduction, disclosures

Introductory content 

  • Prevalence in the U.S and high-risk populations
  • Diagnosis; role of kidney biopsy, serologies; classification of LN, with emphasis on classes III-V); diagnostic challenges
  • Key risk factors for severe disease and progression
  • Economic and public health burden of LN, progression to ESRD, and related outcomes

Treatment of LN 

  • Goals of therapy
  • Initial immunosuppressive regimen for active focal (class III), diffuse (class IV), and lupus membranous nephropathy (class V)
    • Mycophenolic acid analog
    • Anti-B cell stimulator antibody
    • Calcineurin inhibitor
    • Cyclophosphamide
    • Glucocorticoid regimen and tapering
    • Dietary sodium restriction
    • Medical management of blood pressure and cardiovascular risk reduction
    • KDIGO & ACR guideline and evidence review and the roles of:
    • General measures for chronic management
  • Monitoring response to therapy and suggestions for improvement to the conventional paradigm 
  • Management challenges and solutions 
    • Resistant & relapsing disease
    • Treatment toxicity
    • Special patient populations
    • Role and benefit of the MDT and shared decision-making
  • Patient case(s) 

Summary, conclusions, and best practice recap

Learning Objectives

By the end of the session the participant will be able to:

  • Summarize challenges related to the healthcare burden, identification, and management of lupus nephritis.
  • Identify the present and emerging pharmacotherapeutic treatment options for the management of lupus nephritis.
  • Formulate a treatment plan for a patient with lupus nephritis.

Accreditation

ACCME Activity #203366898

ScientiaCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

Credit Designation: ScientiaCME designates this educational activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ toward the AMA Physician's Recognition Award. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

CME-MOC_badge

ABIM MOC Recognition Statement: Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1.0 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine's (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit.

ABIM MOC Credit Type: Medical Knowledge

Physicians: For maintenance of certification (MOC) points, you must enter your board certification ID # and birth date correctly.  It is the learner's responsibility to provide this information completely and accurately at the completion of the activity. Without providing it, the learner will NOT receive MOC points for this activity. By providing this data, you acknowledge that it will be shared with ACCME and the applicable certifying board. Please note: Not all activities on this site provide MOC points. If this activity does not specify that it provides MOC points in this section, then it does NOT provide MOC points. This activity provides MOC points only for ABIM.

Pharmacists

ScientiaCME is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmacy education. This activity is approved for 1.0 contact hours  of continuing pharmacy education credit. Proof of participation will be posted to your NABP CPE profile within 4 to 6 weeks to participants who have successfully completed the post-test. Participants must participate in the entire presentation and complete the course evaluation to receive continuing pharmacy education credit. ACPE #0574-0000-26-008-H01-P. This is an Application (A)-type activity. 

PharmacistsYou must enter your NABP # and birth date correctly so that proof of participation can be posted to your NABP CPE profile. It is the learner's responsibility to provide this information completely and accurately at the completion of the activity. Without providing it, the learner will NOT receive CPE credit for this activity.

Nurses: This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™, and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ to meet the continuing education renewal requirements of nursing re-certification for APRNs and RN specialty. Some state nursing boards accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ for re-licensure requirements, some do not. Check your state board of nursing's CE requirements before applying credit from this course to your re-licensure.

Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ assigned by organizations accredited by the ACCME as satisfying Category 1 CME for National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) national certification maintenance. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.

Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Board (AANPCB) states that continuing education providers accredited by the ACCME may provide acceptable, accredited Advanced Practice Provider content. This activity is designated for up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.


Faculty Disclosure and Resolution of COI

As a provider of continuing medical education, it is the policy of ScientiaCME to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor in all of its educational activities. In accordance with this policy, faculty and educational planners must disclose any significant relationships with commercial interests whose products or devices may be mentioned in faculty presentations, and any relationships with the commercial supporter of the activity. The intent of this disclosure is to provide the intended audience with information on which they can make their own judgments. Additionally, in the event a conflict of interest (COI) does exist, it is the policy of ScientiaCME to ensure that the COI is resolved in order to ensure the integrity of the CME activity. For this CME activity, any COI has been resolved thru content review by ScientiaCME.

Disclosures of Faculty: Fahmeedah Kamal, MD, Clinical Associate Professor, Stanford University of School of Medicine, has received financial compensation from Vera Pharmaceuticals and Otsuka Pharmaceuticals for advisor/consulting services.

Disclosures of Educational Planners: Charles Turck, PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, President of ScientiaCME, has no relevant financial disclosures.  

Faculty WILL NOT discuss off-label uses of a commercial product. 

All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated. 

ScientiaCME adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CE activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.

Commercial Support Disclosure: This program is supported by an educational grant from Mallinckrodt. 

Instructions

  • Read the learning objectives above
  • Take the Pre-Test (optional). Completion of the pre-test will help us evaluate the knowledge gained by participating in this CME activity.
  • View the online activity. You may view this is in more than one session, and may pause or repeat any portion of the presentation if you need to.
  • Minimum participation threshold: Take the post-test. A score of 70% or higher is required to pass and proceed to the activity evaluation.
  • Complete the activity evaluation and CME registration. A CE certificate will be emailed to you immediately.

Cultural/Linguistic Competence & Health Disparities

System Requirements

PC
Windows 7 or above
Internet Explorer 8
*Adobe Acrobat Reader
MAC
Mac OS 10.2.8
Safari or Chrome or Firefox
*Adobe Acrobat Reader
Internet Explorer is not supported on the Macintosh

*Required to view Printable PDF Version


Perform Pre-Test (optional)

Please take a few minutes to participate in the optional pre-test. It will help us measure the knowledge gained by participating in this activity.


Additional Courses That Are Related To This Activity

Taking aim at IgA nephropathy (IgAN): present gaps and evolving management strategies

A clear-eyed view of the path forward advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment

The explicit need for implicit bias and cultural competence training in the health professions