文本框: THE EFFECT OF MYCOPHENOLATE MOFETIL (MMF) IN THE TREATMENT OF TYPE IV LUPUS NEPHRITIS (LN) IN CHILDREN Xu H, Song SL, Shen Q Children’s Hospital, Fudan Unuversity, Shanghai, China Objective: This study aims to investigate the effectiveness and safety of MMF in Chinese Type IV Lupus Nephritis (LN) children. Methods: All the Ten childhood LN patients fulfilled the following criteria: (1) active urinary sediment, proteinuria >1g/d; (2) renal biopsy revealed type IV LN. 7 of them were given MMF 600mg/m2 for 6-12 months at the beginning of diagnosis, supplemented with oral prednisone (2mg/kg, Max 60mg/d) and gradually reduced to 10-15mg/d. 3 of them started MMF treatment after failing to conventional treatment of large doses of steroids combined with intravenous cyclophosphamide (CTX). Evaluation of clinical effects and serological studies observed at the end of 6-12 months treatment. Gastrointestinal symptoms, infection, liver fuction, WBC count etc were closely observed. Results: After 6 monthes of MMF treatment, the proteinuria showed a marked decreased in 5 of 6 patients. The decrement of serum A-dsDNA was also more pronounced and very fast. Three of them gradually reduced to small doses of prednisone altenative treatment. There were no severe side effects in MMF group. Conclusion: Our study proved that MMF therapy showed a better effect than conventional CYX group.. It is conceivable that MMF therapy might be served as a regimen for the induction treatment of diffuse proliferative (type IV) lupus nephritis in children. 0708