Dietary manipulation for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. A new approach to therapy.

To evaluate the role of food antigens in idiopathic nephrotic syndromes, we used dietary manipulations in 26 cases in whom steroid therapy had failed. In the six reported, restricted diets according to clinical and biological data were followed by complete remissions, suggesting that food can be responsible for idiopathic nephrotic syndrome in selected cases, and leading to a new therapeutic approach. The mechanism by which such antigens can be implicated in the pathogenesis of this glomerular disease is discussed.