2006 Volume 19 Issue 2 Pages 70-77
Although combination therapy with intravenous cyclophosphamide (IVCY) and pulse methylprednisolone has been reported to be effective for patients with severe lupus nephritis, its long-term use significantly causes considerable toxic effect. Mizoribine (MZB) has been applied without serious adverse effects in the treatment of lupus nephritis. However its clinical efficacy was reported to be limited in patients with mild case of lupus nephritis.
We treated four children with severe lupus nephritis by triple therapy with low-dose IVCY (500mg/m2, cumulative dose of 3g/m2), oral MZB (4-5mg/kg/day) and steroids (2-3 courses of pulse methylprednisolone followed by oral prednisolone) who achieved complete remission with renal histological improvements in a short period of time, and without significant adverse effects.
From these findings, the triple therapy could be an alternative to achieve remission in children or adolescents with severe lupus nephritis, but long-term study is needed to confirm our preliminary findings.
