title: Contrasting response to cyclosporin in refractory nephrotic syndrome.
abstract: We studied the effects of cyclosporin A (CsA), given for three months, in 14 patients with nephrotic syndrome refractory to treatment with prednisone and/or other immunosuppressants. CsA was given in a starting dose of 6 mg/kg and plasma through levels (RIA) were kept between 50 and 150 ng/ml. Diagnosis included: idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis (n = 6), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (n = 3), minimal change disease (n = 3) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (n = 2). Three patients with non-immunologically mediated nephrotic syndrome due to Alport's syndrome were studied as well. Considering all patients and diagnostic groups together, proteinuria decreased from 9.0 +/- 4.3 to 4.7 +/- 3.8 g/24 h during CsA treatment (mean +/- SD; p less than 0.01). However, serum creatinine increased from 121.8 +/- 60.5 to 150.4 +/- 64.6 mol/l (p less than 0.01) and glomerular filtration rate as estimated by 24-hour creatinine clearance fell from 85.5 +/- 33.7 to 72.1 +/- 37.2 ml/min (p less than 0.05). When compared to other diagnostic groups, fractional excretion of protein, i.e. protein excretion corrected for changes in glomerular filtration rate, fell only in IMGN (ANOVA, p less than 0.05). We conclude that CsA reduced proteinuria in patients with refractory nephrotic syndrome. In the majority of these patients this reduction could be due to a renal hemodynamic, rather than an immunomodulatory effect of the drug. Only in IMGN the latter action of the drug may be of importance.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I, University Hospital Dijkzigt, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zietse
authors.forename: G J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wenting
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kramer
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mulder
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schalekamp
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Weimar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D003524:Cyclosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009404:Nephrotic Syndrome / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000188:drug therapy; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D003524:Cyclosporins; D003404:Creatinine; D011241:Prednisone