Purpose: To investigate the prognosis of patients with spontaneous remission (SR) of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R)-associated membranous nephropathy (MN).
Patients and methods: Patients diagnosed with MN were recruited after examining their renal biopsy in the Renal Department of China-Japan Friendship Hospital between January 2015 and September 2021. Among them, 24 patients with SR were included in this study and follow-up.
Results: Twenty-four patients diagnosed with SR of PLA2R-associated MN were recruited; 11 were male, and 13 were female, with a mean age of 49.5±14.5 years (range, 30-77 years). The initial 24-hour urinary total protein and serum albumin levels were 0.29±0.14g/d and 37.5±4.4g/L, respectively, and the initial serum creatinine was 65.0±15.8μmol/L. During the follow-up of 33.9±19.1 months (range, 6-73 months), 22 (91.7%) patients maintained remission; however, one patient had impaired renal function due to acute coronary syndrome and coronary angiography findings, and one patient experienced a repeated relapse caused by respiratory tract infection, at 50 and 70 months. A systematic review of the relevant literature was conducted, and records of patients with SR of PLA2R-associated MN were retrieved from 16 case reports or case series with a total of 97 cases.
Conclusions: Most patients with SR of MN had a promising long-term prognosis, with only a few cases of relapse.
Keywords: Membranous nephropathy; Nefropatía membranosa; Prognosis; Pronóstico; Remisión espontánea; Spontaneous remission.
Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.