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50 patients with proliferative glomerulonephritis due to lupus erythematosus were assigned in order of their chronologic appearance at the hospital alternately to treatment with either daily high dose prednisone, azathioprine, prednisone and azathioprine combined, or combined azathioprine and heparin. Prednisone alone was ineffective both from a standpoint of maintaining kidney function or from preserving a state of well being. Only 2 of 15 patients treated with prednisone are doing well with an average survival for the group of 19 months. Azathioprine, alone, appeared very effective with 9 of 13 patients alive and doing well with an average survival of 38 months. Combinations of either azathioprine and prednisone or azathioprine and heparin were most successful, only 2 of 13 in each group died of renal failure. Complications of prednisone administra’ion were high both when prednisone was given alone or in combination with azathioprine.
Cade et al. (2008) studied this question.