Can immunosuppressive therapy be useful in IgA nephropathy when the 'Point of No Return' has already been exceeded?

Immunosuppressive treatment of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) has been a controversial issue since many years, mainly because of skepticism on awaited results and fear of possible side effects. Some authors proposed the existence of a 'point of no return', after which the worsening in renal function becomes inexorable and treatment ineffective. Indeed, the decision to treat these patients is easily followed by disappointment due to lack of favorable results. We report the case of a 24-year-old woman with a diagnosis of IgAN with advanced sclerosis and chronic renal failure. After treatment with a 6-month steroid course, she experienced a long-lasting stabilization of renal function (serum creatinine) and decrease in proteinuria (from 2.9 to 0.46 g/24 h) that still persisted at the end of follow-up (48 months). Analysis of this case and review of the literature suggest that immunosuppressive treatment could delay the beginning of renal replacement therapy in the advanced phase of IgAN. However, the results of long-term, randomized, controlled, adequately sized trials are awaited. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel