Table 1.

Teaching points

Teaching points
Current therapeutic strategies for anti−glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease include daily plasmapheresis, glucocorticoids, cyclophosphamide, and rituximab.
Rapid initiation of immunosuppressive therapy is paramount to prevent irreversible kidney damage, dialysis dependence, and death.
Emerging data suggest that complement activation might play a significant role in renal damage in anti-GBM disease.
Complement activation can be triggered by anti-GBM antibody binding, which can generate and amplify the inflammatory response, including the recruitment and activation of leukocytes.
The use of terminal complement blockade with eculizumab, an anti-C5 monoclonal antibody, has the potential to be an effective novel therapy for anti-GBM disease. Its therapeutic role requires further investigation.