Cyclosporine-induced remission of relapsing nephrotic syndrome in children.

We treated 20 steroid-resistant or steroid-dependent nephrotic patients with oral cyclosporin for 8 weeks; they had been treated previously with cyclophosphamide or chlorambucil. Cyclosporine was started at 7 mg/kg/d and titrated to maintain a serum level of 100 to 200 ng/mL. Of 20 patients, 14 had a complete remission and the remaining six had a reduction in their proteinuria. By life table analysis, 40% of the responders show a sustained remission of up to a year. Pretherapy levels of interleukin 2, measured in 10 patients, were normal or supranormal in eight, six of whom were treatment responders; two patients with low levels of interleukin 2 were both nonresponders. Cyclosporine can be used to induce a remission in relapsing nephrotic patients, and short-term cyclosporine therapy does not produce nephrotoxic effects.