Steroid therapy and prognosis of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in the elderly.
|
| Abstract |
Idiopathic focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is an infrequent renal biopsy diagnosis in the elderly. In our single-centre referral registry there were only 17 cases seen in 822 biopsies performed in patients aged 60 or over giving an incidence of 2%. These seventeen patients ranged from age 61 to 78 at the time of biopsy and were followed a median period of 29.5 months. The incidence of nephrotic syndrome at baseline was similar to younger adults (70.5%), but both hypertension (71%) and renal insufficiency (53%) were higher. Fifty-three percent (9/17) of the patients were treated with either steroids or a combination of steroids and cytotoxic therapy. A complete remission in proteinuria was observed in 44% of the treated patients versus none in the untreated patients. No relapses were seen in those that had a complete remission. As well, none of the patients with a complete remission, versus 9/14 (63%) of the untreated or non-responsive patients progressed to renal failure during the observation period. One patient who was treated with cytotoxic therapy and steroids subsequently died of a pancreatic carcinoma. Idiopathic FSGS is an infrequent glomerulopathy in the elderly but it is important given its malignant natural history. Alternate day prednisone for up to 6 months may be a reasonable approach since a complete remission in proteinuria was seen in 44% of our treated patients and this response was closely linked to a good long-term prognosis. The risks of therapy however must be carefully weighed against the potential benefit in each case because of the advanced age of these patients.
|
|---|---|
| Authors | R Nagai, D C Cattran, Y Pei |
| Journal | Clinical nephrology (Clin Nephrol) Vol. 42 Issue 1 Pg. 18-21 (Jul 1994) ISSN: 0301-0430 [Print] Germany |
| PMID | 7923961 (Publication Type: Clinical Trial, Controlled Clinical Trial, Journal Article) |
| Chemical References |
|
| Topics |
|
Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!