A recent study identified a promising treatment for Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy (IgAN), a prevalent form of chronic glomerulonephritis which is a leading cause of chronic renal failure in China. The findings were published in the World Journal of Clinical Cases.
Mei-Juan Meng and team from the Wuxi People's Hospital and Nanjing Medical University conducted this study from January 2011 to December 2020. This study included 200 patients with moderate-to-severe IgAN. The renal function at the time of diagnosis is crucial as the prognosis of IgAN varies widely. The research evaluated the effectiveness and safety of prednisone alone and in combination with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) for treating IgAN with moderate-to-severe renal impairment.

The patients were divided into a glucocorticoid therapy group (GTG) and an immunosuppressive therapy group (ITG). Both the groups received general treatments, and the GTG was administered prednisone while the ITG received MMF. The study found that both therapy significantly reduced 24-hour urinary protein levels and stabilized renal function. Also, at the nine-month mark, the ITG exhibited a more significant decrease in protein levels and serum creatinine compared to the GTG. By the end of 12th month, both groups continued to show improvements but the ITG demonstrated a higher overall response rate.
The outcome of the study suggest that the combination of prednisone and MMF proved highly effective for treating IgAN with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction. This discovery holds significant promise for improving the prognosis and outcomes for patients grappling with this challenging condition. Also, further research and clinical trials will be imperative to validate and build upon these promising results from this study.
Reference:
Meng, M.-J., Hu, L., Fan, Y., Gao, H., Chen, H.-Z., Chen, C.-M., Qi, Z., & Liu, B. (2023). Efficacy of prednisone combined with mycophenolate mofetil for immunoglobulin A nephropathy with moderate-to-severe renal dysfunction. World Journal of Clinical Cases, 11(35), 8300–8309. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v11.i35.8300