ACTH-induced improvement in the nephrotic syndrome in patients with a variety of diagnoses

To access publisher full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links fieldIntroduction\udIn the fifties and the sixties, ACTH was widely used for the treatment of childhood nephrosis probably caused\udby minimal change disease in most cases [1,2]. This\udtreatment was provided in lieu of steroids since it\uddoes not suppress the adrenal glands and there were\udhopes of less growth stunting. There are a few reported\udcases of ACTH treatment in nephrotic patients who\udhad not been biopsied but probably suffered from\udother diseases than minimal change disease [3,4]. These\udpatients received huge doses of short-acting ACTH\udfor days or weeks and some of then seemed to respond,\udat least partially. During the last few decades the use\udof ACTH has been limited due to the fact that the\udpreparation must be given parenterally