Korean Journal of Nephrology 1998;17(2):225-235.

혈청 HBe 항원 양성인 사구체 신염에서 제조합 알파 인터페론의 치료

전은실 , 김연수 , 정윤철 , 윤형진 , 안규리 , 한진석 , 김성권 , 이정상 , 정순일

Abstract

Recently the results of alpha-interferon treatement in hepatitis B virus associated glomerulonephritis showed a reduction of proteinuria and a loss of HBeAg in some treated patients. But, alpha- interferon therapy was mainly tried in membranous nephropathy of children. So, we treated 13 adults patients with recombinant alpha-interferon who were diagnosed as HBV associated membranous nephro- pathy(2) and membranoproliferative GN(11) at Seoul National unversity hospital. All of them had neph- rotic range proteinuria and Hbe antigenemia for more than 6 months, normal serum creatinine level and had no other systemic disease. Three million units of recombinant alpha-interferon was given six times a week for 16 weeks intramuscularly and the therapeutic effect was analyzed during treatment periods, especially in terms of changes in urine pro- tein excretion and serurn HBeAg. And we compared them with 14 control patients who had received con- servative therapy only. As a results, at the end of interferon therapy, serum HBeAg disappeared in 4 of 13 treated patients, and serum HBsAg disappeared in 1 of 4. At the end of therapy, proteinuria diminished to non-nephrotuc range in 6 of 13 treated patients and decrement of proteinuria was accompanied with disappearance of serurn HBeAg in 3 patients. And proteinuria diminished in 5 of 11 MPGN patients and serum HBeAg disappread in 3 of them. But in 14 controls there were no significant changes in 24 hour urine protein excretion and serum HBeAg. During interferon therapy, mild febrile reaction was developed in 8 patients, anemia in 3 patients, and cytopenia in 7 patients, but most of these adverse effects resolved spontaneously after discontinuation of interferon therapy. During follow up periods over 1 years, proteinuria relapsed to nephrotic range in 3 of 6 patients and serum HBeAg reappreared in 2 of them. In conclusion, the alpha-interferon at the dose induced a clearance of HBeAg and the decrement of the proteinuria in some adult MN and MPGN patients. And these results suggested the possibilities that HBeAg might be involved in the pathogenesis of HBV associated MPGN and alpha-interferon might be effective in some HBV associated MPGN.