Incidence of renal complications in Schönlein-Henoch purpura syndrome in dependence of an early administration of steroids.

Between 1976 and 1986, the authors treated 33 children with Schönlein-Henoch purpura (S-H purpura), with physiological urinary finding on admission. Twenty-three of them received prednisone already at the beginning of hospitalization, 10 were not given any prednisone at all. In patients with prednisone, nephropathy occurred only once (4.3%), in those without prednisone it occurred 5 times (50%), the incidence being thus significantly higher. Prednisone was administered in doses ranging between 1.0 and 2.5 mg/kg body mass/day, on an average for 21 days (first 10 days in the same dose, later in reduced doses). Since there is a general lack of data on the positive effect of steroids upon the prevention of nephropathies in S-H purpura, the authors recommend more thorough studies in the initial stage of the disease (before the development of nephropathies).