Study Status: Not yet recruiting
Recruit Status: Not yet recruiting
Study Type: Interventional
Official Title: Immunoadsorption in Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Glomerulonephritis; a Pilot Study
Brief Summary: Anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) glomerulonephritis is a rare autoimmune disease mediated by anti-GBM antibodies and characterized by acute renal failure due to diffuse crescentic glomerulonephritis. Established treatment is cyclophosphamide and corticosteroids to suppress anti-GBM production and daily plasma exchange to remove circulating anti-GBM antibodies. The vast majority of patients with anti-GBM glomerulonephritis develop irreversible end-stage renal failure despite this treatment. Immunoadsorption may lower anti-GBM titres more effectively than plasma exchange. The goal of this interventional open, non-randomized pilot study is to study the efficacy, adverse events, logistic feasibility and costs of immuno-adsorption for the removal of anti-GBM antibodies in patients with acute renal failure due to anti-GBM glomerulonephritis. Eight patients with acute renal failure due to anti-GBM glomerulonephritis with or without accompanying pulmonary involvement will be treated with daily immunoadsorption, instead of plasma exchange, until anti-GBM titres are undetectable. All other aspects of the treatment (e.g. immunosuppressive treatment, renal replacement therapy) will be standard. The primary study parameter is the number of days that anti-GBM antibody titre is above a toxic level, defined as >30 ELISA units. Secondary study parameters are the tolerability and adverse events of immunoadsorption, the logistic feasibility defined as the time interval between diagnosis and start of first immunoadsorption treatment and costs of immunoadsorption.