ASN's Mission

To create a world without kidney diseases, the ASN Alliance for Kidney Health elevates care by educating and informing, driving breakthroughs and innovation, and advocating for policies that create transformative changes in kidney medicine throughout the world.

learn more

Contact ASN

1401 H St, NW, Ste 900, Washington, DC 20005

email@asn-online.org

202-640-4660

The Latest on X

Kidney Week

Please note that you are viewing an archived section from 2019 and some content may be unavailable. To unlock all content for 2019, please visit the archives.

Abstract: TH-PO996

Study of Long-Term Recurrence and Adverse Effects of Rituximab Treatment in Adults with Steroid-Dependent Minimal-Change Nephrotic Syndrome

Session Information

Category: Glomerular Diseases

  • 1203 Glomerular Diseases: Clinical, Outcomes, and Trials

Authors

  • Yamaguchi, Erika, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
  • Iwabuchi, Yuko, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, TOKYO, Japan
  • Karasawa, Kazunori, Department medicine, Kidney Center, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Tokyo, Japan
  • Moriyama, Takahito, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, TOKYO, Japan
  • Nitta, Kosaku, Tokyo Women's Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, TOKYO, Japan
Background

The effect of rituximab treatment on the minimal-change nephrotic syndrome came to be known widely. However, there are few reports about the long term clinical course after rituximab treatment. Therefore, we studied a 60-month recurrence and the adverse effects from start of the rituximab treatment.

Methods

We performed a retrospective study of the clinical course of 52 MCNS patients who had rituximab treatment at interval of 6 months. We compared the clinical findings between the 60-month period before and 60-month period after the first rituximab infusion.

Results

Significant reduction in the average number of relapses was observed during the 60-month period after the first rituximab infusion as compared with the findings during the 60-month period before the first rituximab infusion (8.9 vs 0.7, p<0.001). Oral administration of immunosuppressant containing prednisolone at 60-month was significantly decrease from the start of rituximab. There were no severe adverse effects during the 60 month period after the first rituximab. However, mild infusion reactions occurred 60 times (14.4%). Also, two patients had leukopenia (3.8%), another one had myocarditis (1.9%), another one had buttocks abscess (1.9%), and another two patients had hypogammagolbulinemia (3.8%).

Conclusion

Our results revealed that rituximab therapy was associated with reduction in the number of relapses and in the total dose of immunosuppressant needed. And the results also revealed that rituximab was safe for MCNS patients. However a few patients had some adverse events, so it is important to observe all patients after rituximab treatment regularly.