Table 2.
Clinical and metabolic characteristics of INS patients according to CGCSa
| Variable | La (n = 50) | Ha (n = 40) | p |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age at diagnosis (years) | 5.13 ± 4.21 | 5.31 ± 4.53 | NS |
| 3.95 (1–17) | 3 (0.5–15) | ||
| Interval since diagnosis (years) | 2.94 ± 3.61 | 7.82 ± 4.26 | < 0.01 |
| 2.05 (0–16) | 7.5 (0.5–16) | ||
| Number of NS relapses | 3.14 ± 2.29 | 8.28 ± 2.39 | < 0.01 |
| 2 (1–9) | 10 (1–15) | ||
| On GCS at visit, n (%) | 17/50 (34%) | 24/40 (60%) | |
| Cumulative dose of GCS (g/kg) | 0.36 ± 0.32 | 1.82 ± 0.67 | < 0.01 |
| 0.26 (0.12–0.99) | 1.79 (1–3.78) | ||
| RANKL (pmol/l) | 0.39 ± 0.23 | 0.18 ± 0.15 | < 0.01 |
| 0.46 (0.02–1.36) | 0.19 (0.01–1.25) | ||
| OPG (pmol/l) | 3.37 ± 1.12 | 3.69 ± 0.98 | NS |
| 3.72 (1.00–7.24) | 3.77 (2.19–6.34) | ||
| RANKL/OPG | 0.12 ± 0.09 | 0.04 ± 0.12 | < 0.01 |
| 0.14 (0.01–0.71) | 0.05 (0.002–0.37) |
INS, Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome; CGS, glucocorticoids; CGCS, cumulative glucocorticoid dose; NS, nephrotic syndrome
Continuous data are presented as the mean ± SD and as the median and range (in parenthesis); categorical data are presented as n and the percentage (in parenthesis)
aL = low CGCS of <1 g/kg body weight (BW); H = high CGCS of ≥1 g/kg BW