Is mycophenolate mofetil combined with low-dose prednisone a treatment option for advanced IgA nephropathy? A 10-year follow-up case and brief literature review

IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is now widely recognized as the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide, especially in China. The immunosuppressive treatment option for IgAN is still controversial. Previously, we proved that mycophenolate mofetil (MMF; Shanghai Roche, China) combined with low-dose prednisone was an effective and safe option for biopsy-proven mild to moderate IgAN patients in a short term of follow-up. This article we first reported the safety and efficacy of this regimen in a 42-year-old male biopsy-proven advanced 10-year follow-up IgAN case (Lee’s Class V; the patient was biopsied 10 years ago, so the Oxford Mesangial hypercellularity Endocapillary hypercellularity Segmental glomerulosclerosis Tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (MEST) classification was not used). The mycophenolate and prednisone were only given for a limited time. The other main medications included calcium channel blockers and antiplatelet agents. Clinical and laboratory indexes were aperiodic assessed during the 10-year follow-up. The serum creatinine decreased from 356 to around 210 μmol/L and urine excretion protein reduced from 3.4 g/d to about 0.5 g/d after 6 months of the initiation of this regimen, respectively. These perfect treatment effects could maintain well during the whole follow-up period. No obvious complications were observed.