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Lupus membranous nephropathy
Class V disease is → characterized by diffuse thickening of the glomerular capillary wall on light microscopy (picture 5) and by subepithelial immune deposits (either global or segmental involvement) on immunofluorescence or electron microscopy (picture 6) [91,108,109]. Mesangial involvement may also be seen.
Although sparse subendothelial deposits can be seen by immunofluorescence or electron microscopy with class V disease alone, the presence of such deposits as detected by light microscopy warrants a combined diagnosis of classes III and V disease or of classes IV and V disease. In this setting, the additional designation of class III or IV is → based upon the distribution of the deposits.