Type I membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is a relatively uncommon glomerular disease, constituting 1.8% of renal biopsies performed in Rochester, minnesota, United States of America, at the Mayo Clinic, between 1993 and 2008. The prognosis of idiopathic Type I MPGN is relatively poor. Recently, Irish series, slightly more than 50% of patients developed end stage renal disease after a mean follow up of 14 years . The disease may recur after renal transplantation . High-dose glucocorticoids have been used to treat this disease in children but there is no established treatment in adults.
Type I MPGN is associated with a variety of disorders, including hepatitis, especially hepatitis C, cryoglobulinemia, monoclonal gammopathies, systemic lupus erythematosus, and bacterial endocarditis or other chronic bacterial infections . Idiopathic Type I MPGN is rare. Biopsy samples usually stain for C3 and properdin. However, immunoglobulin G is also present in most cases, especially if the biopsy is performed early in the course of the disease suggesting antibody production as a possible therapeutic target. Rituximab is a chimeric murine/human immunoglobulin g1 kappa monoclonal antibody targeting the cluster of differentiation 20 antigen found on pre-B and mature B lymphocytes, but not on hematopoietic stem cells, pro-B cells, normal plasma cells or the cells of other normal tissues. In the United States it was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in 1997 for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and was later approved for rheumatoid arthritis. Intravenous administration of rituximab results in rapid, selective, prolonged B cell depletion. Anecdotal reports have demonstrated the efficacy of rituximab in treating MPGN secondary to chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Rituximab has also been shown to be effective in patients with MPGN related to a monoclonal gammopathy. In an open label trial with rituximab, six patients with MPGN type I were treated with rituximab 1000 mg on days 1 and 15 and followed for 1 year. Proteinuria fell in all patients, at all time points, after rituximab administration. Renal function did not change.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
30
Intravenous injection
Oral tablets
effect of Rituximab on proteinuria
measured through urinary protein/ creatinine ratio
Time frame: 3 months
This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.