Membraneous nephropathy (MN) is one of the complicated
kidney diseases associated with
proteinuria.
Mizoribine (MZR) is an emerging treatment option for
nephrotic syndrome; however, its dosage and administration are yet lack of consensus. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of high-dose MZR pulse
therapy for adult membraneous nephropathy. Sixty patients with membraneous nephropathy were recruited, and assigned to two treatment groups. One group received conventional treatment of
steroid combining with
cyclophosphamide (CPM), the other group received
steroid combining with high-dose MZR pulse administration. Both groups were followed up for 1 year. Treatment efficacy and side effects were measured regularly. Fifty-nine patients completed the treatment courses. There was no significant difference in demographic and disease conditions prior to treatment between two treatment groups. Both groups showed significant decrease of urine
proteins and increase of
serum albumin levels
after treatments with no severe side effects. After 6 months of treatment, MZR group has 71% reduction (compared to 74.4% reduction in CPM group) in urine
protein compared to baseline after adjusting for age and gender. 89.7% of patients in CPM and 93.3% in MZR groups had partial/ complete remission after 12 months. This study demonstrated satisfactory safety and efficacy of high-dose
mizoribine pulse administration combining with
steroid treatment for adult patients with
membranous nephropathy.