University Network

According to a finding that will be disclosed by a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology (JASN), treatment with steroids can delay or prevent loss of kidney function in individuals with IgA nephropathy, a type of kidney disease.

The list of study co-authors included Simeone Andrulli, Lucia Del Vecchio, Francesco Locatelli (Ospedale di Lecco), Antonello Pani (Ospedale di Cagliari), Patrizia Scaini (Ospedale di Brescia), Giambattista Fogazzi (Ospedale Maggiore di Milano), Bruno Vogt (Inselspital di Berna), Vincenzo De Cristofaro (Ospedale di Sondrio), Landino Allegri (Ospedale di Parma), Lino Cirami (Ospedale di Firenze), and Aldo Deni Procaccini (Ospedale di Foggia).

From Sciencedaily.com:

“Our study shows that corticosteroids are very useful in patients with IgA nephropathy, and that the addition of an immunosuppressant drug, such as azathioprine, doesn’t increase their benefit,” comments Claudio Pozzi, MD (Ospedale E. Bassini, Milan).

Patients with IgA nephropathy develop deposits of the protein IgA in the kidneys. The abnormal IgA deposits damage the glomeruli (the filtering units of the kidney), leading to blood and protein in the urine. Previous studies have shown that steroids can reduce urine protein levels and help protect kidney function. However, some patients develop progressive kidney disease, despite steroid treatment.

The kidney complication is an autoimmune disease affecting the kidneys and is considered to be a a major cause of end-stage failure of the kidneys in younger people.

Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: azathioprine, steroid treatment, steroids