Prednisone treatment of non-nephrotic patients with idiopathic membranous nephropathy. A prospective study.
18 adults with nonnephrotic proteinuria showed a milder form of idiopathic membranous nephropathy on renal biopsy. These patients were allocated to two groups, 2 years' steroid treatment or nontreatment. 8 of 9 tested patients showed complete disappearance of proteinuria in an average time of 2.4 months after starting the treatment, but in 9 patients of the nontreatment group proteinuria continued for at least 1 year. All five repeated biopsy specimens obtained after subsidence of proteinuria in the treatment group revealed a distinctive regression of glomerular basement membrane alterations. Though the study was not a controlled one, these results suggest that steroid therapy in idiopathic membranous nephropathy is beneficial, particularly in patients with lesser degrees of basement membrane lesions.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000032:analysis; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011241:Prednisone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000188:drug therapy
D007136:Immunoglobulins; D011241:Prednisone