Mycophenolate mofetil or standard therapy for membranous nephropathy and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis: a pilot study.
BACKGROUND
The current treatment regimes for patients with nephrotic syndrome due to idiopathic membranous nephropathy (MN) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) are based on steroids and/or cytotoxic agents. Data on the effect of mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for these conditions are scarce and confounding.


METHODS
We compared the efficacy of an MMF-based therapy with standard therapies in inducing remission in adult nephrotics with MN and FSGS in a randomized pilot study. MMF was given at 2 g/day for 6 months along with prednisolone at 0.5 mg/kg/day for 2-3 months. Conventional therapy was prednisolone 1 mg/kg/day for 3-6 months for FSGS and alternating monthly cycles of steroids and cyclophosphamide for 6 months for MN. The primary end point was change in urinary protein/creatinine ratio.


RESULTS
A total of 54 patients (21 MN and 33 FSGS) were recruited; 28 were randomized to receive MMF (group A) and 26 were on conventional treatment (group B). There was no difference in the proportion of patients achieving remission in two groups (64 and 80% in MN and 70 and 69% in FSGS). The frequency of relapses and incidence of infections was also similar. FSGS patients in group A achieved remission faster and received a lower cumulative steroid dose.


CONCLUSIONS
A 6-month treatment with MMF is as effective as the conventional treatment for primary treatment of MN and FSGS in the short term. It induces remission faster and reduces steroid exposure in FSGS patients. Studies with more cases and longer follow-up are required to evaluate its impact on preservation of kidney function.
Senthil Nayagam
Lakshmanan
L
Department of Nephrology, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.
Ganguli
Anirban
A
Rathi
Manish
M
Kohli
Harbir S
HS
Gupta
Krishan L
KL
Joshi
Kusum
K
Sakhuja
Vinay
V
Jha
Vivekanand
V
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015433:Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D005923:Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007677:Kidney Function Tests; D008297:Male; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011336:Probability; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D011239:Prednisolone; D009173:Mycophenolic Acid