TreatmentUpdate 55 - Vol. 7, No. 1 - January 1995 Sean Hosein
Doctors in Cleveland, Ohio, have recently reported their results in treating 4 HIV-infected patients with kidney dysfunction. All subjects were adults, 2 males and 2 females. Three of these subjects had used AZT and one, ddI. The CD4+ cell counts ranged from 30 to 80 cells. Doctors treated them with the corticosteroid Prednisone 60 mg/day "for 2 to 6 weeks." All subjects improved and protein loss was reduced. The doctors suggested that short-term use of steroids "does not substantially increase the risk of life-threatening infections." Two subjects developed MAC infections, but when the doctors stopped giving the subjects steroids the patients survived the infection. Other doctors may wish to consider testing concentrated fish oil (with the vitamins A and D removed) or flax seed oil (with beta- carotene and vitamin E used as preservatives) as potential anti-inflammatory kidney treatment.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith MC, Pawar R, Carey JT, et al. Effect of corticosteriod therapy on human Immunodeficiency virus-associated nephropathy. American Journal of Medicine 1994;97:145-151.
2. Donadio JV, Bergstralh EJ, Offord KP, et al. A controlled trial of fish oil in IgA nephropathy. New England Journal of Medicine 1994;331(18):1 194-1 199.
This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.