Are patients with systemic lupus erythematosus deficient in complement-dependent prevention of immune precipitation?
Our results reveal a defect in prevention of immune precipitation in SLE that is apparent at an early stage in the disease and correlates with low levels of C4A. These results indicate that subtle deficiencies of complement may predispose to SLE.
The use of multicategory reporting of MPS results incorporating nonperfusion MPS results and clinical information enhances risk stratification compared with both a dichotomous normal/abnormal approach or approaches based solely on segmental categories of perfusion scores. Whether this enhanced risk stratification based on the clinical certainty of the MPS interpretation leads to a more effective therapeutic regimen, tailored to the individual patient's need, requires further prospective evaluation.