Researchers have discovered that blood clotting proteins in urine can act as biomarkers in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), especially those with lupus nephritis.

The team of researchers at the University of Houston found that blood clotting proteins, both the ones that promote blood clotting (prothrombic) and those that disperse them (thrombolytic) are elevated in the urine of patients with lupus nephritis (LN).

Published in the journal Arthritis Research & Therapy, the study shows that among the proteins tested, urine plasmin has shown the greatest independent predictor of kidney function and renal disease status.

“Urine biomarkers represent promising candidates for the early diagnosis as well as the monitoring of disease activity and therapeutic responses in lupus nephritis,” Mohan, Hugh Roy, and Lillie Cranz Cullen, Endowed Professor of biomedical engineering, said. They further added that discovering the biomarker for ongoing lupus nephritis paves the way for a more comprehensive clinical monitoring of the illness.

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