Abstract

Twenty-three patients with Wegener's granulomatosis, 15 with daily oral cyclophosphamide therapy and eight with intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy, were studied retrospectively. All patients had involvement of the kidneys and systemic symptoms. Mean monthly cyclophosphamide dose was 1.0 g in the pulse group and 2.7 g in the daily treated group. In all patients remission could be achieved. During 207.5 months of daily oral therapy the following complications were observed: leukopenia, necessitating dose reduction in seven patients, severe infection in one patient, relapses in three patients. During 103 months of intravenous pulse therapy one patient developed leukopenia. No patient had a severe infection. Two relapses were seen. Our data suggest that cyclophosphamide pulse therapy is an effective treatment strategy in patients with Wegener's granulomatosis and kidney involvement. It offers the chance of bladder protection and marked total dose reduction, possibly decreasing the risk of malignancies.

Full Text
Paper version not known

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.