Mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis: changes in glomerular morphology with long-term alternate-day prednisone therapy.

In all of eight patients with mesangiocapillary glomerulonephritis who received prednisone in an alternate-day schedule for 3 to 9 hr, the glomerule showed a marked reduction in mesangial cellularity and complete regression of mesangial interposition. Subendothelial deposits disappeared but intramembranous dense deposits, when present previously, persisted. Repair was incomplete in that a few mesangial deposits were still present, immunoflourescence was unchanged, and several of the patients developed focal mesangial scarring and increased numbers of global bodies. Functional glomerule and glomerular tuft segments, however, showed greatly improved morphology. There was no evidence of deterioration of renal function over a follow-up period of 5 to 11.5 yr.