Effectiveness of glycosaminoglycan in patients with glomerulonephritis: A prospective longitudinal cohort study

Abstract

Abstract. Our study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Sulodexide in the treatment of patients with glomerulonephritis(GN). Methods. We conducted a prospective longitudinal cohort study involving 105 patients with CKD, who were hospitalized at the Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Clinical Hospital (Ukraine) from 2021-2022. Only patients with proteinuria of 0.3 g – 3.5 g/day and chronic kidney disease (CKD) stages 1-3 and the diagnosis of GN were included in the study. The clinical diagnosis was determined based on standard examination methods according to the Classification of Kidney Diseases and protocols of management of CKD patients All patients were randomly assigned into 2 groups. Group 1 received basic therapy, and Group 2 received Sulodexide in oral capsules containing 250 lipasemic units (LSU) twice daily in addition to basic therapy. The duration of treatment was 6 months. Results. Our study showed that the additional use of sulodexide for 6 months significantly reduced the level of proteinuria in patients with GN, so in the second group, it was possible to achieve a significantly lower level of proteinuria 567 (356; 745) mg/day, compared to the first group 956 (765; 1233 ) mg/day (р˂0.05). As the glomerular filtration rate remained stable or even increased, proteinuria reduction cannot be explained by alteration of filtration capacity. We also noted a significant decrease in the level of D-dimers in the group of patients who additionally received Sulodexide for 6 months, which may indicate the prevention of thromboembolic and cardiovascular events in this population of patients. However, this hypothesis needs further research. Conclusions. The additional use of Sulodexide in patients with GN statistically significantly reduced proteinuria levels preventing CKD progression rate.

Keywords

• chronic kidney disease, glomerulonephritis, treatment, glycosaminoglycans, sulodexide.