Prolonged plasma exchange in the treatment of renal involvement in essential mixed cryoglobulinemia.

Four men and 2 women with Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia and a membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis were treated with prolonged Plasma Exchange without the addition of cytotoxic agents. All patients had Nephrotic Syndrome and Renal Insufficiency. Three of them presented a rapid deterioration of renal function just prior to Plasma Exchange treatment. Total number of procedures varied for each patients from 24 to 105. Serum creatinine decreased significantly in those patients with rapid deterioration of renal function, while it was not modified in the 3 with stable chronic renal failure. In no instance major side effects were recorded, and relapses of the disease did not occur, after gradually tapering of Plasma Exchange sessions. These data suggest that Plasma Exchange alone, if early instituted, may be an effective and safe treatment of Essential Mixed Cryoglobulinemia Glomerulonephritis.