Clinical and Onward Comparison Research of Leflunomide and ACEI for Patients with IgA Nephropathy

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of leflunomide(LEF) combined with Angiotesin Converting Enzyme Inhibitor(ACEI) in the treatment of IgA nephropathy(IgAN).Methods From January 2006 to December 2007,40 patients with biopsy-confirmed IgAN in our hospital were assigned randomly to two groups.20 patients in control group received LEF combined with ACEI(the LEF group),and the other 20 patients in treatment group received prednisone combined with ACEI(the prednisone group).24-hour urinary protein,renal function,serum albumin,urine erythrocyte were monitored.Efficacy and safety were evaluated after treatment.All patients would receive renal biopsy again after one year.Results After treatment,the proteinuria and urine erythrocyte in the two groups decreased significantly(P0.05),serum albumin and renal function increased obviously(P0.05),and pathological lesions in kidney relieved significantly(P0.05).Compared with the prednisone group,the LEF group had less adverse and more efficacy in decreasing proteinuria,increasing serum albumin,relieving pathological lesions in kidney(P0.05),and improving renal function(P0.01).Conclusion In the treatment of IgAN,Leflunomide(LEF) combined with ACEI had exact effect in decreasing roteinuria,relieving urine erythrocyte,inhibiting the glomerular mesangial proliferation and extracellular matrix production,preventing glomerulosclerosis and improving renal function in the long time.Therefore,leflunomide(LEF) combined with ACEI was one of the safety and effective choices for treatment of IgAN.