Prevention of infection in immunosuppressive patients with autoimmune nephrosis by using an immunostimulating...

The utilization of immunosuppressive agents presents patients with autoimmune nephrosis at a high risk of infection. The present trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of Broncho-Vaxom on preventing infection in immunosuppressive patients with autoimmune nephrosis.

40 patients with autoimmune nephrosis were randomly divided into two groups. The control group (20 cases) routinely received corticosteroid and (or) immunosuppressive therapy, while the treatment group (20 cases) received a capsule containing 7 mg Broncho-Vaxom daily for the first 10 d of each month for 3 consecutive months on the basis of conventional corticosteroid and (or) immunosuppressive therapy. The condition of infection and blood lymphocyte were assessed.

4 patients in the treatment group and 5 patients in the control group were lost during the follow-up period. 25% of patients in the treatment group and 40% of patients in the control group suffered infection. There was no difference in the incidence of infection between the two groups (p > 0.05), while Broncho-Vaxom treated patients suffered a shorter infection period and of which fewer patients need to receive antibiotics therapy (p < 0.05). After the treatment with Broncho-Vaxom, the total number of blood T lymphocyte, proportion of CD4 (+) T lymphocyte, CD4 (+) /CD8 (+) reduced less and the serum IgG rose more obviously (p < 0.05), but the blood lymphocyte, B lymphocyte, CD8 (+) T lymphocyte, IgA and IgM have no differences between the two groups (p > 0.05).

Broncho-Vaxom might be a good choice for preventing the respiratory infection in nephrosis, especially in the patients under the therapy of immunosuppressive agents.