Significant benefits in patients receiving abatacept have also not been observed with respect to partial renal responses or other secondary end points, i.e., reduction of anti-dsDNA antibody levels, normalization of serum concentration of C3 and C4 complement components, shortening of the time needed to achieve complete/partial renal response, improvement of QoL, and frequency of SLE flares. Here, C3 is linked to systemic lupus erythematosus.