Clinical study on treatment of childhood Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis with colquhounia root tablet / 中国中西医结合杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To study the effect of Colquhounia root tablet (CRT) in treating childhood Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) and compared with tripterygium wilfordii multiglycoside tablet (TWMGT).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Eighty-two children with HSPN were divided into the CRT group and the control group. To patients of nephritic type, treatment with CRT and TWMGT was applied separately, but to those of nephrotic type, the treatment was given together with prednisone. Therapeutic effect and changes of related indexes, including urinary protein, retinal-binding protein (RBP), N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminidase (NAG), were observed after patients received treatment for 6 months.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The complete remission (CR) rate and partial remission (PR) rate in patients of nephritic type in the treated group was 58.8% and 41.2% respectively, while those in the control group was 20.8% and 66.7% respectively, and the ineffective rate being 12.5%. Comparison of the therapeutic effect between the two groups showed significant difference (P < 0.05). Although the CR rate in patients of nephrotic type in the treated group was higher than that in the control group, the difference was insignificant (P > 0.05). The urinary levels of protein, RBP and NAG lowered in both groups, but level of urinary protein in the treated group of nephritic type after 6 months of treatment was significantly lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>CRT shows obvious effect in improving childhood HSPN of nephritic type, nephrotic type and attenuating the tubulointerstitial lesions, compared with TWMGT, CRT is more effective in lowering proteinuria and better in total effective rate.</p>

A clinico-pathological study comparing Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis with IgA nephropathy in children / 中华儿科杂志

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) and IgA nephropathy are very similar in immunopathological changes, and therefore some nephrologists considered that they are substantially one disease entity caused by IgA immune abnormalities, and IgA nephropathy is, in fact, a kind of HSPN without rashes. The present study aimed to characterize their relationship through clinico-pathological comparison between IgA nephropathy and HSPN.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>Thirty-one children with IgA nephropathy aged from 3 to 15 years and 120 children with HSPN aged between 4 to 15 years were enrolled in this study. Their clinical manifestations, blood biochemical test, serum immunology and follow-up data were collected and analyzed. Renal pathological findings in light microscopy, immunofluorescence and electron microscopy were analyzed and also compared between 31 children with IgA nephropathy and 32 children with HSPN.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>The age of onset was over 12 years in 25.8% children with IgA nephropathy, but only in 10% with HSPN, and the difference was significant (P < 0.05). The clinical patterns of IgA nephropathy and HSPN were similar, but extra-renal manifestations were seen more often in HSPN, all of them had skin purpura, 59% had gastrointestinal symptoms and 47% suffered from arthralgia. While the abdominal pain occurred only in 3.2% children with IgA nephropathy. The renal pathological investigation showed global sclerosis in 35.5% of IgA nephropathy and 3.1% of HSPN, mesangial sclerosis in 41.9% of IgA nephropathy and 6.3% of HSPN, but endothelial proliferation in 65.6% of HSPN and 29% of IgA nephropathy. The differences were extremely significant (P < 0.01). Thin basement membrane nephropathy were only found in 6.5% children with IgA nephropathy, but in none with HSPN. The electronic dense deposits in HSPN were sparse, loose and widely spread in glomerular mesangium, subendothelial area and even intra basement membrane. While the deposits were dense, lumpy and mostly limited in mesangium and paramesangium in IgA nephropathy. IgG was found in glomerular immune deposits in 71.9% of HSPN, but only 19.4% of IgA nephropathy. No IgG deposit was observed in 81.6% of IgA nephropathy, among them most showed IgA and IgM and/or C(3) deposit. Predominant IgG deposits were found in 12.5% of HSPN with relatively weak IgA deposit, moreover 6.3% of HSPN showed linear IgG deposits in glomerular capillary wall, which couldn't be found in IgA nephropathy. The follow-up data of average 20 months showed complete remission in 72.5% of HSPN and 19.4% in IgA nephropathy after 34 months follow-up. Moreover, 64.5% of IgA nephropathy had consistent hematuria and proteinuria, 16.1% had active nephritides, the difference was significant (P < 0.05).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>Significant clinico-pathological differences were found between HSPN and IgA nephropathy, which does not support the one disease entity hypothesis. HSPN and IgA nephropathy are probably two diseases with similar immune abnormalities.</p>