The history of pulse therapy in lupus nephritis (1976-2016).

Pulse therapy with methylprednisolone became standard of care for the treatment of worsening lupus nephritis since its introduction in 1976. Even today, 40 years since its introduction, it is still a gold standard for this clinical condition. In this communication, we have reviewed the events that surrounded the use of this therapy by one of the authors of the original paper published in Lancet 40 years ago.