α-Interferon therapy for HBV-related glomerulonephritis
Keywords:
Hepatitis B virus, Membranous glomerulonephritis, InterferonAbstract
We report a case of a patient with hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) who showed improvement after interferon-α therapy. A 35-year-old man with nephrotic syndrome and HBV antigens received a 24-week course of IFN-α At the end of therapy there was an elevation in the level of plasma aminotransferase and an increase in proteinuria, which were followed by antigen/antibody seroconversion. This "flare-up" before seroconversion suggests an increase in disease activity in the liver and kidney, demonstrating in vivo HBV involvement in MGN.
Downloads
References
Lai KN, Lai FM. Clinical features and the natural course of hepatitis B virus-related glomerulopathy in adults. Kidney Int 1991;40(suppl.35):S40-5.
Lai KN, Li PKT, Lui SF, et al. Membranous nephropathy related to hepatitis B virus in adults. N Engl J Med 1991;324:1457-63.
Di Bisceglie AM. Long-term outcome of interferon-alpha therapy for chronic hepatitis B. J Hepatol 1995;22(suppl.1):65-7.
Conjeevaram HS, Hoofnagle JH, Austin HA, Park Y, Fried MW, Di Bisceglie AM. Long-term outcome of hepatitis B virus-related glomerulonephritis after therapy with interferon-alpha. Gastroenterology 1995;540:46-51.
