| Theme |
Apheresis Update |
| Title |
Recent apheresis therapies for kidney diseases |
| Author |
Kengo Furuichi |
Division of Blood Purification, Kanazawa University Hospital |
| Author |
Takashi Wada |
Department of Nephrology, Kanazawa University Hospital |
| [ Summary ] |
Plasma exchange or double filtration plasmapheresis for rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis (RPGN), and low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-apheresis or leukocytapheresis (LCAP) for nephritic syndrome are two major apheretic therapies for kidney diseases. Plasma exchange for lupus nephritis or LDL-apheresis for relapsing focal segmental glomerulonephritis is clinically valuable and a well established treatment. Although several possibilities for future use of apheresis for kidney disease have been speculated on animal experiments and human studies, clinical applications have been limited thus far. In addition to the clinical benefits of apheresis, reports have revealed possible mechanisms for apheresis treatment of a variety of diseases. Moreover, these therapies may have a great potential for treatment of kidney diseases. Further studies are needed to establish the effectiveness of cytapheresis for kidney diseases. |