1974 Volume 16 Issue 4 Pages 351-363
Forty-four patients with glomerulonephritis were treated with an antiinflammatory drug, indomethacin, especially in order to assess whether the effect on proteinuria continues ever after its withdrowal. Thus the amount of urinary protein was examined both during and after the treatment at appropriate intervals. One of the patients had a post-acute glomerulonephritis and the other a chronic glomerulonephritis, among the latter 14 patients showed a nephrotic syndrome. In 84% of the patients proteinuria markedly decreased within several days after the start of this drug, but in most cases returned to respective control levels in a few days after the withdrowal. In the follow up study up to 2 years after the stop of this therapy, 20% of the patients showed some extent of remission. It should be noted, however, that the drug assessment is extremely difficult, because spontaneous remission could not be neglected. There exists no relation between the effect on proteinuria and the histopathological findings in biopsy specimens either during or after the treatment. Membranous type of nephrotic syndrome was found to be completely resistant to indomethacin. Subjective complaints such as dull headache and nausea were found in 66% only during the administration. An elevation of blood urea nitrogen and of bloodpressure, anemia and peptic ulcer frequently occured in the cases with moderately damaged renal function. In brief indomethacin was proved to induce an imcomplete remission in some cases with chronic, glomerulonephritis even after the withdrowal.
