Table 2.
Clinical baseline characteristics and PLA2R antibody levels at the time of study inclusion of patients reaching remission or no remission of proteinuria after 12 months
| Characteristic | Remission | No Remission | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients (n) | 39 | 28 | — |
| Sex ratio of men to women (% men) | 29/10 (74.4) | 22/6 (78.6) | — |
| Age (yr) | 55.2±16.3 | 55.8±12.7 | 0.88 |
| Time from renal biopsy to first serum measurement (mo) | 1.0±1.4 | 1.4±1.6 | 0.36 |
| Proteinuria (mg/24 h) | 9732±5429 | 10022±5164 | 0.83 |
| Serum albumin (g/L) | 24.2±4.3 | 24.0±3.3 | 0.78 |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dl) | 1.4±0.6 | 1.1±0.5 | 0.13 |
| Patients on immunosuppressive therapy (%) | 33 (85) | 23 (82) | — |
| PLA2R antibody level (total IgG ELISA) | 179±207 | 311±297 | 0.04 |
| PLA2R antibody level (IgG4 ELISA) | 23±30 | 54±56 | 0.01 |
For 67 patients of the whole study cohort (treated and not-treated with immunosuppression), proteinuria after 12 months was available. After 12 months of follow-up, 39 patients reached remission and 28 patients did not reach remission of proteinuria. Patients with no remission of proteinuria after 12 months had significantly higher PLA2R antibody levels at the time of study inclusion compared with patients who experienced remission of proteinuria. This difference was seen for total IgG and IgG4 subclass antibody levels. Patients with or without remission of proteinuria after 12 months did not show differences in sex, age, proteinuria, serum albumin, or serum creatinine at the time of study inclusion. There was no difference in the percentage of patients who received immunosuppressive therapy between the groups. —, not applicable.