Effect of acetylsalicylic acid and dipyridamole in primary membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type I.

Primary membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) has a poor long-term prognosis, with 40 per cent of patients reaching end-stage renal failure after 10 years of observation. Approximately 35 per cent of patients die due to complications of the nephrotic syndrome. This study investigates the effect of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) combined with dipyridamole on proteinuria and renal function in nephrotic MPGN patients with normal/moderately reduced glomerular filtration rate (GFR). Fourteen patients with biopsy-proven type I MPGN received ASA (1000 mg/day) and dipyridamole (300 mg/day) for 24 months. Proteinuria was reduced from 6.8 +/- 2.4 g/day to 1.1 +/- 0.6 g/day (p < 0.001). Serum albumin levels increased from 2.2 +/- 0.5 g/dL to 3.7 +/- 0.4 g/dL (p < 0.001) during the study period after 24 months compared to baseline. Serum creatinine and GFR did not significantly change in patients treated with acetylsaliclylic acid and dipyridamole during the observation period (p < 0.05). Our study suggests that ASA combined with dipyridamole significantly reduces proteinuria without impairing renal function in patients with MPGN.