Abdel-Rehim ASM, et al. - The present study was carried out to assess the potential role of serum interleukin-34 (IL-34) as an early marker for the detection of silent lupus nephritis (LN). Researchers recruited 33 lupus patients with silent LN (group I), 37 patients with clinical LN (group II) and 20 controls. They tested the systemic lupus erythematosus Disease Activity Index, IL-34, anti-dsDNA antibodies and renal biopsy in all patients. The data indicated that the different histological classes of subclinical LN were indentified by serum IL-34 in lupus patients with insignificant proteinuria. The results considered that serum IL-34 may be applied as a surrogate marker for early renal affection in silent LN, particularly the proliferative type.