Question

A 31-year-old female with pleural and pericardial effusions is found to have an anti double-stranded DNA titer of 1:512. If she is later found to have a serum urea nitrogen that is 55 mg/dL, it will most likely be the result of which of the following pathological processes?

Answer 1

The elevated serum urea nitrogen of 55 mg/dL in a 31-year-old female with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus is most likely due to kidney damage caused by lupus nephritis.

Step-by-step explanation:

A 31-year-old female with pleural and pericardial effusions and an anti-double-stranded DNA (ds-DNA) titer of 1:512 is likely to have Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). The presence of such high anti-ds-DNA titers is among the classification criteria for SLE, which is characterized by autoantibodies against nuclear elements leading to type III hypersensitivity reactions.

Given that SLE often affects the kidneys, resulting in lupus nephritis, it is plausible that the elevated serum urea nitrogen level of 55 mg/dL in this patient could be the result of kidney damage. This pathological process can impair the kidneys' ability to excrete waste products such as urea nitrogen, leading to an accumulation in the blood.