title: Supportive Versus Immunosuppressive Therapy of Progressive IgA nephropathy (STOP) IgAN trial: rationale and study protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The best treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is currently not well defined. The Supportive Versus Immunosuppressive Therapy of Progressive IgA Nephropathy (STOP IgAN) trial aims to answer if, in IgAN patients, an immunosuppressive treatment is more effective than a supportive treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a randomized prospective multicenter study (www.clinicaltrials.gov, NCT00554502), we will treat 148 patients at risk for progressive IgA nephropathy following a 6-month run-in phase, in 2 groups: (group a) supportive treatment: patients with a persistent proteinuria >0.75 g/day will receive a maximized therapy to reduce blood pressure and urinary protein loss using angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and AT1 blockers, statins, dietary counseling for a low-sodium and low-protein diet and education/intervention programs to stop smoking. (group b) immunosuppressive treatment: in addition to the identical treatment of group a, patients will receive treatment with steroids (glomerular filtration rate [GFR] > or =60 ml/min) or steroids plus cyclophosphamide/azathioprine (GFR <60 ml/min). Study end points are the complete remission of the disease and the individual degree of renal functional loss. If the immunosuppressive therapy shows a superior efficacy with respect to prevention of renal failure, the potentially higher therapy cost and risk might be justified. Finally, our trial can serve as a model for various other types of glomerulonephritis, for which such trials are very difficult to perform, given their infrequency.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology and Immunology, RWTH University of Aachen, Aachen, Germany. feitner@ukaachen.de
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Eitner
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.forename: Ralf-Dieter
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Hilgers
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Floege
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001379:Azathioprine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003520:Cyclophosphamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018450:Disease Progression; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D005260:Female; D005919:Glomerular Filtration Rate; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011507:Proteinuria; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic / Q000379:methods; D012107:Research Design
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D019161:Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents; D003520:Cyclophosphamide; D001379:Azathioprine