| 1. |
- Gauckler, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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Rituximab in adult minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis - What is known and what is still unknown?
- 2020
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Ingår i: Autoimmunity Reviews. - : Elsevier BV. - 1568-9972 .- 1873-0183. ; 19:11
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Primary forms of minimal change disease and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis are rare podocytopathies and clinically characterized by nephrotic syndrome. Glucocorticoids are the cornerstone of the initial immunosuppressive treatment in these two entities. Especially among adults with minimal change disease or focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, relapses, steroid dependence or resistance are common and necessitate re-initiation of steroids and other immunosuppressants. Effective steroid-sparing therapies and introduction of less toxic immunosuppressive agents are urgently needed to reduce undesirable side effects, in particular for patients whose disease course is complex. Rituximab, a B cell depleting monoclonal antibody, is increasingly used off-label in these circumstances, despite a low level of evidence for adult patients. Hence, critical questions concerning drug-safety, long-term efficacy and the optimal regimen for rituximab-treatment remain unanswered. Evidence in the form of large, multicenter studies and randomized controlled trials are urgently needed to overcome these limitations.
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| 2. |
- Gauckler, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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Rituximab in Membranous Nephropathy
- 2021
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Ingår i: Kidney International Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2468-0249. ; 6:4, s. 881-893
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of primary nephrotic syndrome among adults. The identification of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R) as target antigen in most patients changed the management of MN dramatically, and provided a rationale for B-cell depleting agents such as rituximab. The efficacy of rituximab in inducing remission has been investigated in several studies, including 3 randomized controlled trials, in which complete and partial remission of proteinuria was achieved in approximately two-thirds of treated patients. Due to its favorable safety profile, rituximab is now considered a first-line treatment option for MN, especially in patients at moderate and high risk of deterioration in kidney function. However, questions remain about how to best use rituximab, including the optimal dosing regimen, a potential need for maintenance therapy, and assessment of long-term safety and efficacy outcomes. In this review, we provide an overview of the current literature and discuss both strengths and limitations of “the new standard.”
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| 3. |
- Gauckler, Philipp, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 outcomes in patients with a history of immune-mediated glomerular diseases
- 2023
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Ingår i: Frontiers in Immunology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 1664-3224. ; 14
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Patients with immune-mediated glomerular diseases are considered at high risk for severe COVID-19 outcomes. However, conclusive evidence for this patient population is scarce.Methods: We created a global registry and retrospectively collected clinical data of patients with COVID-19 and a previously diagnosed immune-mediated glomerular disease to characterize specific risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes.Results: Fifty-nine patients with a history of immune-mediated glomerular diseases were diagnosed with COVID-19 between 01.03.2020 and 31.08.2021. Over a mean follow-up period of 24.79 +/- 18.89 days, ten patients (16.9%) developed acute kidney injury. Overall, 44.1% of patients were managed in an outpatient setting and therefore considered as having "non-severe" COVID-19, while 55.9% of patients had severe COVID-19 requiring hospitalization including worse outcomes. Comparing both groups, patients with severe COVID-19 were significantly older (53.55 +/- 17.91 versus 39.77 +/- 14.95 years, p = .003), had lower serum albumin levels at presentation (3.00 +/- 0.80 g/dL versus 3.99 +/- 0.68 g/dL, p = .016) and had a higher risk of developing acute kidney injury (27% versus 4%, p = .018). Male sex (p <.001) and ongoing intake of corticosteroids at presentation (p = .047) were also significantly associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes, while the overall use of ongoing immunosuppressive agents and glomerular disease remission status showed no significant association with the severity of COVID-19 (p = .430 and p = .326, respectively).Conclusion: Older age, male sex, ongoing intake of corticosteroids and lower serum albumin levels at presentation were identified as risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes in patients with a history of various immune-mediated glomerular diseases.
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| 4. |
- Windpessl, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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COVID-19 vaccines and kidney disease
- 2021
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Ingår i: Nature Reviews Nephrology. - : NATURE RESEARCH. - 1759-5061 .- 1759-507X. ; 17:5, s. 291-293
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Patients with kidney diseases should be prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination and the available data suggest that replication-defective viral-vectored vaccines and mRNA vaccines are safe to use. As vaccine responses are likely to be lower in patients with kidney diseases than in the general population, highly potent vaccines should be preferred.
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| 5. |
- Windpessl, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Preventing infections in immunocompromised patients with kidney diseases: vaccines and antimicrobial prophylaxis
- 2023
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Ingår i: Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation. - : OXFORD UNIV PRESS. - 0931-0509 .- 1460-2385. ; 38:2, s. ii40-ii49
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic revealed that our understanding of infectious complications and strategies to mitigate severe infections in patients with glomerular diseases is limited. Beyond COVID-19, there are several infections that specifically impact care of patients receiving immunosuppressive measures. This review will provide an overview of six different infectious complications frequently encountered in patients with glomerular diseases, and will focus on recent achievements in terms of vaccine developments and understanding of the use of specific antimicrobial prophylaxis. These include influenza virus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, reactivation of a chronic or past infection with hepatitis B virus in cases receiving B-cell depletion, reactivation of cytomegalovirus, and cases of Pneumocystis jirovecii pneumonia in patients with anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis. Varicella zoster virus infections are particularly frequent in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and an inactivated vaccine is available to use as an alternative to the attenuated vaccine in patients receiving immunosuppressants. As with COVID-19 vaccines, vaccine responses are generally impaired in older patients, and after recent administration of B-cell depleting agents, and high doses of mycophenolate mofetil and other immunosuppressants. Strategies to curb infectious complications are manifold and will be outlined in this review.
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