New drug to treat kidney disease holds better hope of survival
An alternative treatment for the commonest cause of kidney failure in young adults has been shown to improve patients' survival chances.
The drug helps reduce a major symptom of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) by 80 per cent, against 50 per cent for those on conventional treatment, the University of Hong Kong study shows.
Kidney inflammation accounts for 35 per cent of kidney failure, of which 61 per cent is caused by IgAN, Hospital Authority figures show. IgAN involves the production of abnormal protein by white blood cells. The protein is deposited in the kidneys, resulting in an excess of protein - known as proteinuria - and the passing of blood in urine. Severe cases of IgAN result in kidney failure.
In the three-year study, begun in 2002, 20 patients received the alternative drug, mycophenolate mofetil (MMF), in addition to conventional treatment; a further 20 received only conventional treatment.
In the 20 that had both, the level of proteinuria was lowered by 80 per cent, with no major side effects, compared to 50 per cent for the others.
'The higher the level of proteinuria, the more likely a patient will suffer from kidney failure. MMF can reduce the level of proteinuria more effectively than the conventional treatment [alone], therefore the kidney survival rate is improved,' the university's associate professor of medicine, Sydney Tang Chi-wai, said.