Table 1.
Clinical baseline characteristics of the patients and PLA2R antibody levels at the time of study inclusion and at the start of immunosuppression
| Characteristics | Whole Patient Cohort | Initial Immunosuppressive Therapy | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| None (No IS) | CNI | Alk | RTX | ||
| Patients (n) | 133 | 32 | 54 | 35 | 9 |
| Sex, ratio of men to women (% men) | 101/32 (76) | 25/7 (78) | 42/12 (78) | 27/8 (77) | 5/4 (56) |
| Age (yr) | 54.4±15.2 | 57.1±12.1 | 51.4±17.4 | 56.2±13.1 | 55.2±15.5 |
| Time from renal biopsy to first serum measurement (mo) | 1.2±1.5 | 1.0±1.4 | 1.2±1.4 | 1.3±1.6 | 1.4±2.0 |
| Time from first serum measurement to start of IS treatment (mo) | — | — | 2.4±3.2 | 3.0±3.2 | 2.8±3.7 |
| Proteinuria (g/24 h) | |||||
| At the time of first serum measurement | 9.6±5.0 | 7.4±3.2 | 9.9±5.4a | 11.8±5.4a | 8.5±4.2 |
| At 3 mo (no IS) or start of IS | — | 7.3±3.0 | 10.2±5.8a | 10.9±5.1a | 8.2±4.1 |
| Serum albumin (g/L) | |||||
| At the time of first serum measurement | 23.7±4.1 | 25.0±3.5 | 22.8±4.6a | 23.8±3.4 | 24.0±3.3 |
| At 3 mo (no IS) or start of IS | — | 26.9±4.6 | 23.3±4.8a | 23.7±4.2a | 24.8±7.3 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dl) | |||||
| At the time of first serum measurement | 1.2±0.6 | 1.1±0.6 | 1.2±0.5 | 1.3±0.6 | 1.2±0.4 |
| At 3 mo (no IS) or start of IS | — | 1.3±0.9 | 1.2±0.5 | 1.3±0.6 | 1.2±0.5 |
| PLA2R antibody level (total IgG ELISA) | |||||
| At the time of first serum measurement | 282±355 | 218±276 | 334±383 | 310±411 | 109±92 |
| At 3 mo (no IS) or start of IS | — | 137±165 | 240±250 | 311±439 | 133±130 |
| PLA2R antibody level (IgG4 ELISA) | |||||
| At the time of first serum measurement | 40±53 | 32±45 | 52±63 | 39±49 | 15±11 |
| At 3 mo (no IS) or start of IS | — | 16±23 | 38±47a | 39±52 | 23±30 |
There were no significant differences in any of the clinical characteristics between patients treated with calcineurin inhibitors, alkylating agents, or rituximab at the first serum measurement (study inclusion) or at the start of immunosuppression. There were no significant changes in the PLA2R antibody levels, proteinuria, or any other clinical characteristic from the time of first serum measurement to the start of immunosuppression. There were statistically significant differences in proteinuria, PLA2R antibody levels, and serum albumin between patients on supportive care only and patients who received immunosuppression (P<0.05). —, not applicable; IS, immunosuppression; CNI, calcineurin inhibitor; Alk, alkylating agent; RTX, rituximab.
P<0.05.