AHN Center for Autoimmune Kidney Disease

Autoimmune kidney disease is caused by the body's immune system attacking its own healthy kidney tissue, which can lead to conditions like glomerulonephritis and glomerulosclerosis. If these conditions aren't treated, they can permanently damage your kidneys and require long-term support from dialysis or a kidney transplant.

What causes autoimmune kidney disease?

The most common cause of autoimmune kidney disease is lupus nephritis. This is a complication of systemic lupus erythematosus, commonly known as lupus, which causes inflammation in the kidneys.

Lupus nephritis affects millions of people worldwide. Early diagnosis and quick treatment can help protect against kidney damage. Our team works in tandem with the AHN Lupus Center  to provide an efficient, collaborative approach to treatment with the latest infusion and injection therapies.

While lupus is a systemic disease, its kidney involvement often manifests as glomerulonephritis.

Glomerulonephritis and autoimmune kidney disease

Glomerulonephritis is an autoimmune condition where your glomeruli, which filter waste out of the blood in your kidneys, become inflamed. This inflammation damages them and prevents them from working correctly. Glomerulosclerosis is an advanced form of glomerulonephritis, where chronic inflammation has caused scarring (sclerosis) that makes your glomeruli permanently unable to do their filtering job.

There are several types of glomerulonephritis diseases that can cause autoimmune kidney disease, including:

• IgA nephropathy (IgAN): This is a kidney disease where an antibody called IgA builds up in the glomeruli, causing inflammation and scarring.
• Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN): This condition causes inflammation and thickening of the glomerular walls due to immune system dysfunction, which affects your kidney filtration.
• Minimal change disease: This condition, also known as nil disease, primarily damages the glomeruli.
• Fibrillary glomerulonephritis: This rare condition is characterized by glomerular damage with unique fibrillary deposits.
• C3 glomerulonephritis: This is a type of glomerulonephritis involving the complement protein C3.

Other causes of autoimmune kidney disease

Vasculitis diseases

Some autoimmune diseases attack blood vessels in various places in your body, including your kidneys. This causes inflammation, which restricts blood flow to and damages your kidneys. Vasculitis diseases include:

• Granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA)
• Microscopic polyangiitis
• IgA vasculitis
• Drug-induced vasculitis

Membranous nephropathy

This specific condition involves thickening of the kidney's filtering membrane. This thickening disrupts filtration and can cause nephrotic syndrome, a condition that causes low protein levels. It can result in swelling of the legs, hands, and feet, as well as high cholesterol.

Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis

This scarring condition affects some of the glomeruli. It leads to excess protein in the urine and often progresses to chronic kidney disease.

Sjögren's with kidney involvement

Sjögren's is a systemic autoimmune disease that causes primary immune dysregulation affecting your salivary and tear glands. Its impact on the kidneys is often less common.

Diagnosing autoimmune kidney diseases

Autoimmune kidney diseases are usually very subtle and can go undetected and undiagnosed for months to years. The diagnosis of these conditions usually involves a combination of tests. The goal of these tests is to identify the presence of inflammation and damage within the kidneys, and then to figure out what's causing it.

Diagnostic procedures include blood tests, urine analysis, and CT scans. Most patients need a kidney biopsy for a definitive diagnosis, which is an outpatient procedure performed by an interventional radiologist.

In early stages of the condition, patients may not have any symptoms, but protein and blood in the urine may be found on a test. In more advanced autoimmune kidney disease, patients may notice worsening blood pressure, swelling in the legs, weakness, fatigue, or respiratory symptoms.

Our treatment approach

Treating these complex autoimmune kidney diseases requires a team approach. Our specialists include a:

• Nephrologist: Our kidney specialist focuses on diagnosing and managing the kidney disease itself, monitoring kidney function, adjusting medication to control blood pressure and manage fluid overload, and assessing current kidney damage. They also decide when additional treatments (like dialysis or a kidney transplant) may be needed.
• Rheumatologist: Our expert in autoimmune diseases works to manage the underlying autoimmune process, like prescribing medication to suppress the immune system and reduce inflammation. They tailor treatment to your specific autoimmune disease, like lupus.

Our patient care transformation team at the AHN Autoimmunity Institute combines several specialties to ensure comprehensive care for every patient. This team includes a nurse navigator, nutritionist, clinical pharmacist, behavioral health consultant, and health management coordinators.

Everyone at the center works collaboratively, sharing information and creating a coordinated treatment plan tailored to each patient's needs and preferences.

Meet our team of specialists

Managing autoimmune kidney diseases requires the comprehensive and coordinated approach of a multidisciplinary team. Our specialists and care transformation team work together to ensure every patient receives the best possible care and supportive services to improve their quality of life.

The Center for Autoimmune Kidney Disease is led by:

Our Care Transformation Team is led by:

Dr. Manzi's Care Transformation Team includes:

Brian Gildea, BSN, RN-BC
Nurse Navigator

Cassandra (Cassie) Dolecki, PharmD
Clinical Pharmacist

Rebecca Yetiskul, LCSW
Behavioral Health Consultant

Chelsea Rourke
Registered Dietitian

Center for Autoimmune Kidney Disease Appointments

Knowing who to call to make the correct appointment depends on whether you have a current diagnosis. If you:

Are seeking a diagnosis

If you do not have a current autoimmune kidney disease diagnosis, call (412) DOCTORS (412) 362-8677 to schedule an appointment with your primary care provider (PCP) to discuss your symptoms and concerns. If you do not have a PCP, you can use AHN Find Care to search for one near you.

Your PCP may refer you to a rheumatologist or other specialist for diagnostic testing and more specialized care. If your PCP has already recommended you see a rheumatologist, you can use AHN Find Care to choose a specialist close to home.

Have a referral or want a second opinion about your diagnosis or treatment

If you have been diagnosed with autoimmune kidney disease and are looking for specialized care or a second opinion about your condition, you can speak with our Nurse Navigator and schedule your first appointment by calling (833) 242-8246.

Find us

AHN Autoimmunity Institute
West Penn Hospital
4815 Liberty Avenue
250 Mellon Pavillion
Pittsburgh, PA 15224

GET DIRECTIONS

What to expect at your first appointment

At your first appointment, we'll check your insurance, then take your height, weight, blood pressure, and other vital signs. You'll give a urine sample for testing. Your doctor will then talk with you about your health history, check your medications, and review any test results. They'll explain your condition, discuss treatment options, and order any needed follow-up tests. Finally, you'll receive a summary of your visit, including any medication changes and instructions for your next appointment.

Keep track of appointments and test results with MyChart

For medical records, test results, prescription refills, and provider messaging, current patients can log in to MyChart. Don't have a MyChart account? Learn more about MyChart and register for your free account today.

AHN Autoimmunity Institute Clinical Trials and Research

What is a clinical trial?

Clinical trials are special research opportunities that explore medical treatments, strategies, or devices to ensure they're safe and effective for human use.

Active autoimmunity clinical trials

By prioritizing research and innovation, our physicians and patients are engaged in more than 100 national and international clinical trials. Participating in these trials gives AHN patients special access to some of the newest potential treatment options for autoimmune kidney disease. Participation in clinical trials is based on meeting eligibility criteria.

To express interest in a clinical trial or to learn more about research opportunities, check out our active autoimmunity clinical trials.

How to refer your patient to the AHN Autoimmune Kidney Disease Center

If you are not associated with AHN, you can refer your patient directly to rheumatologist Sonia Manocha, MD  or nephrologist Swati Arora, MD. Dr. Manocha or Dr. Arora will review your patient's medical history and determine if the Autoimmune Kidney Disease Center can provide the best treatment for them.

You can also refer your patient to any kidney disease specialist, rheumatologist, or nephrologist at AHN for your patient's care.

If you have any questions about independent physician referral, see answers to our frequently asked questions.

After referring your patient

Once your patient is receiving care from an AHN specialist, you can view their test results, see their treatment plan, follow their treatment progress, and collaborate with our team using the EpicCare^® Link™ platform.

If you are new to EpicCare Link or are having trouble accessing your account, you can request a new account or get answers about an active account.

Releasing medical records to EpicCare Link

If you can't access your patient's AHN test results through the EpicCare Link platform, your patient will need to complete and submit the correct AHN Medical Records Release form based on their state of residency. You can download and print this form for your patients. Use the following medical records release forms for: 

• New York state residents [PDF]
• All other patients [PDF]