Comparison of long-term follow-up outcomes between multiple-drugs combination therapy and tonsillectomy pulse therapy for pediatric IgA nephropathy

To clarify the long-term efficacy of multiple-drugs combination therapy (PWDM) and tonsillectomy pulse therapy (TPT) for pediatric IgA nephropathy (IgAN), we retrospectively evaluated the clinical and laboratory findings as well as the prognosis for IgAN patients treated with each treatment at long-term follow-up. We collected data on 61 children who had been diagnosed with severe IgAN. The children were retrospectively divided into two groups. Group 1 consisted of 44 severe IgAN children treated with PWDM, and Group 2 consisted of 17 severe IgAN children treated with TPT. The clinical features, pathological findings, and prognosis were analyzed for both groups. The mean urinary protein excretion, serum creatinine, IgA levels, MESTCG scores, and percentage of glomeruli showing crescents in both groups at the second renal biopsy were lower than those at the first renal biopsy. At the time of the second biopsy, the IgA level in Group 2 was lower than that in Group 1; however, there were no significant differences in the mean urinary protein excretion, frequency of hematuria, serum albumin, creatinine, or e-GFR between the two groups. At the most recent follow-up, there were no significant differences in prognosis between the groups. Our study suggested that PWDM and TPT are effective in ameliorating urinary abnormalities and improving the long-term outcome of pediatric IgAN.