Why Plasma Exchange Is Better Than Blood Dialysis for Lupus Nephritis

Is Plasma Exchange really better than blood dialysis for Lupus Nephritis patients? If we want to solve this question, we must first make clear what causes Lupus Nephritis. Lupus Nephritis is the most common kidney disease caused by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).
SLE is a typical autoimmune disease that always invades many other systems and organs. When SLE invades our kidney, Lupus Nephritis will happen. So we can clearly know the immune disorder, which includes the abnormalities of immune tolerance, B cell hyperfunction, T cell dysfunction and abnormal cell factors, is the pathogenesis of Lupus Nephritis, and the immune disorder can produce many immune complexes. These immune complexes deposited in the glomerulus can damage our kidney function, and then Lupus Nephritis happens.
When our SLE develops into Lupus Nephritis, most of us have to choose blood purification as the substitute of our kidney function. But at this time, we want to ask whether we can maintain our normal life just through the ordinary dialysis equipments. If we want to know the answer, we must know something about blood dialysis and plasma exchange.
What is the difference between blood dialysis and plasma exchange?
Ordinary blood dialysis as many kidney disease patients’ choice only can help us to clear away the small molecules such as urea nitrogen, creatinine, electrolyte and water, while the plasma exchange can help us to eliminate not only the small molecules but also the middle molecules and macromolecules such as immune complex, immune globulin, albumin, bilirubin, etc.
Why should Lupus Nephritis patients choose plasma exchange not dialysis? The above has mentioned that the substances which can cause Lupus Nephritis are mainly immune complexes especially DNA immune complex. Blood dialysis can’t help us to eliminate these substances, so the Lupus Nephritis patients have to choose plasma exchange.
Now, I believe we can surely say that plasma exchange is really better than blood dialysis for Lupus Nephritis patients.