[The use of ultrahigh doses of corticosteroids in treating the most severe variants of lupus nephritis].

The authors analyze the 10-year experience gained with the use of steroid pulse-therapy for the gravest forms of lupus nephritis--rapid-progressing lupus nephritis and active lupus nephritis associated with the nephrotic syndrome. Ultrahigh doses of prednisolone and methylprednisolone (1000 mg i. v. for 3 days) was monotherapy or as a constituent part of multimodality treatment were given to 30 patients including 27 women and 3 men aged 18 to 48 years. Of these, 12 patients had rapid-progressing lupus nephritis and 18 active lupus nephritis. The short-term treatment results were estimated after 1 to 3 months, whereas the long-term ones after 12 months to 9 years. Analysis of the treatment results allows the following conclusions to be drawn: the use of steroid pulse-therapy was monotherapy is only justified in patients suffering from active lupus nephritis with the nephrotic syndrome without renal failure and only at the disease debut. In rapid-progressing lupus nephritis and long active lupus nephritis with the phenomena of renal failure, the positive effect can only be attained after combination of steroid pulse therapy and high doses of prednisolone per os or long intake of cytostatics per os or in the form of cytostatic pulses.