- With Mayo Clinic urologist
Erik Castle, M.D.
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Erik Castle, M.D.
Erik Castle, M.D.
Dr. Erik Castle is a board-certified urologist who joined the Mayo Clinic staff in Arizona in 2007.
Dr. Castle is an associate professor of urology at College of Medicine, Mayo Clinic, and a senior associate consultant in the Department of Urology, where he also is assistant residency coordinator.
He was an assistant professor in the Department of Urology at Tulane University in New Orleans from 2004 to 2006 after serving as a clinical instructor/fellow at Mayo Clinic in Arizona for one year.
Dr. Castle's research interests include prostate cancer, bladder cancer and kidney cancer. He is the director of the Desert Mountain Prostate Cancer Research Fund and is the principal investigator of Castle labs housed at the Samuel C. Johnson Medical Research building at Mayo Clinic in Arizona. His basic science research is focused on novel secondary hormonal therapies of prostate cancer as well as genomics of prostate and bladder cancer.
His surgical expertise includes laparoscopic urology, robot-assisted radical prostatectomy with nerve sparing, robot-assisted radical cystectomy with neobladder, robot-assisted retroperitoneal lymph node dissection, robot-assisted partial nephrectomy and other robotic urologic oncology procedures. He has performed many of these procedures as demonstrations internationally. He is a member of the American Association of Clinical Urologists, the American Urological Association, the Endourological Society, and the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons. He is president of the international Society of Urologic Robotic Surgeons. He is also the director of the international laparoscopic nephrectomy courses throughout Mexico on behalf of the American Urologic Association.
Symptoms (3)
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Complications (1)
- Lupus: How does it affect the kidneys?
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Question
Lupus: How does it affect the kidneys?
How does lupus affect my kidneys?
Answer
from Erik Castle, M.D.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) — usually referred to as lupus — is a chronic inflammatory disease. Although it can affect many parts of the body, the kidneys are especially vulnerable.
Normally, your immune system makes special proteins called antibodies that attack foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. In an autoimmune disorder such as lupus, your immune system makes antibodies — called autoantibodies — that mistakenly attack your own tissues. Complexes of these autoantibodies build up in the small blood vessels (capillaries) of the kidneys and cause varying degrees of inflammation (lupus nephritis). This impairs kidney function and may lead to kidney failure.
Initially, lupus nephritis may cause no signs or symptoms. But in some people, it may eventually cause:
- High blood pressure
- Swelling (edema) of the feet and lower legs
- Blood in the urine
If you're diagnosed with lupus, your doctor will likely recommend tests to evaluate your kidney function. These tests may include:
- Urine test (urinalysis), which checks for an elevated protein level and red blood cells in the urine
- Serum creatinine, a blood test that measures the ability of your kidneys to excrete waste products
These tests may be repeated periodically. If a problem is detected, your doctor may recommend a kidney biopsy. The results of a biopsy help determine the severity of the kidney disease and appropriate treatment.
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