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Effect of Tonsillectomy Plus Steroid Pulse Therapy on Clinical Remission of IgA Nephropathy: A Controlled Study

Circulatory and Body Fluid Regulation, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, Miyazaki, Japan

Correspondence: Dr. Hiroyuki Komatsu, Circulatory and Body Fluid Regulation, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Miyazaki, 5200 Kihara, Kiyotake, Miyazaki, 889-1692, Japan. Phone: 81-985-85-0872; Fax: 81-985-85-6596; E-mail: hkomatsu{at}fc.miyazaki-med.ac.jp

Background and objectives: Few well-designed investigations have examined how tonsillectomy plus steroid pulse therapy affects IgA nephropathy. A prospective, controlled study therefore was performed to compare the effects of combined therapy with those of steroid pulse alone in patients with IgA nephropathy.

Design, setting, participants, & measurements: Fifty-five patients were followed up for 54.0 ± 21.2 mo. Thirty-five of them underwent tonsillectomy and steroid pulse therapy (group C), and 20 received steroid pulse monotherapy (group M). Both groups received methylprednisolone intravenously, followed by oral prednisolone (initial dosage 0.5 mg/kg per d) for 12 to 18 mo. Primary evaluation items were a 100% increase in serum creatinine from baseline levels or the disappearance of urinary protein (UP) and/or occult blood (UOB) indicating clinical remission.

Results: At 24 mo after the initial treatment, the ratios of the UP and UOB disappearance were higher in group C than in group M, and the therapeutic effect persisted until the final observation. None of group C achieved a 100% increase in serum creatinine from the baseline level, whereas one patient in group M developed ESRD during the observation period. The histologic findings of repeated biopsy specimens from 18 patients revealed that mesangial proliferation and IgA deposition were significantly more reduced in group C than in group M. The Cox regression model showed that the combined therapy was approximately six-fold more effective in causing the disappearance of UP than steroid pulse monotherapy.

Conclusion: Tonsillectomy combined with steroid pulse treatment can induce clinical remission in patients with IgA nephropathy.