title: Corticosteroid agents in renal disease.
abstract: Corticosteroid agents have a major role in the treatment of several renal disorders which have an immune basis. They remain the treatment of choice for minimal-change glomerulonephritis, inducing remission in over 90% of patients. The role of corticosteroid therapy in patients with membranous glomerulonephritis remains controversial, although an extensive controlled trial indicated benefit from a two-month course of alternate-day therapy. Intravenously-administered methylprednisolone has been shown to benefit rapidly progressive crescentic glomerulonephritis; the benefit is probably comparable to that which is obtained with immunosuppression and plasma exchange. Corticosteroid therapy has improved dramatically the prognosis of glomerulonephritis that is associated with systemic lupus erythematosus and the various forms of vasculitis (excluding Wegener's granulomatosis), although the concomitant use of immunosuppressive therapy in these disorders reduces the required doses of corticosteroid drugs. For the last 20 years prednisolone and azathioprine have been standard therapy to prevent renal allograft rejection. However, corticosteroid agents are used currently in much lower doses or have been replaced by cyclosporin A.
mesh_terms: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones