CYTOSTATIC TREATMENT OF GLOMERULAR DISEASES

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Urine and serum proteins have been determined by the Mancini technique in 33 patients with histologically verified glomerular diseases subjected to 12 months' treatment with azathioprine. A statistically significant decrease in the urinary excretion of albumin, IgG, IgA and transferrin was demonstrated during the treatment period. The excretion of α2‐macroglobulin and IgM was often zero or trace. Correspondingly, increases of serum concentrations of albumin, transferrin and IgG were observed. Also decreases in clearance of albumin, IgG and IgA were demonstrated. The level of selectivity index before treatment could not be correlated significantly to various clinical characteristics, but the histological subgroups showed statistically significant differences. Patients with the highest selectivity generally responded best to the cytostatic treatment. During treatment certain subgroups showed increasing selectivity. This applied to patients treated with prednisone, patients without hypertension and those with membranoproliferative glomerular lesions. IgA was the protein fraction showing the greatest number of significant correlations between excretion or clearance and clinical or histological diagnosis. However, the differentiated examinations of the excretion of plasma proteins gave little more information concerning the result of treatment than did total proteinuria.