Evaluation of Efficacy of Plasmapheresis in Nephrology Practice: A Single Center Experience

Plasmapheresis is a method of cleaning the high molecular weight solutes such as immune complexes, protein-bound toxins, autoantibodies, cryoglobulins, myeloma light chains, and endotoxins from the extracorporeal blood plasma with removal techniques. Generally supportive therapy with plasmapheresis has been used as a primary treatment option in many nephrological, neurological, and hematologic diseases. In nephrology practice, it is used for disorders such as renal transplantation, anti-GBM disease and rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. In our study, patients treated with plasmapheresis at the GATA Nephrology Department in the last 10 years (2000-2010) were retrospectively analysed to evaluate the efficacy of plasmapheresis. 28 patients treated with plasmapheresis were enrolled in the study. Of the patients; 9 (32.15%) were postransplant rejection, 7 (25.00%) crescentic glomerulonephritis, 6 (21.43%) antiglomerular basement membrane disease, 2 (7.14%), multiple myeloma, 2 (7.14%) hemolytic uremic syndrome, 1 (3.57%) focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and 1 (3.57%) case of membranoprolipherative glomerulonephritis. Patients were treated with a total of 265 plasmapheresis sessions. We found that patients treated with plasmapheresis benefited from treatment with the removal of macromolecules such as immuncomplexes and immunoglobulins; better prognosis and decreased mortality were achieved. In conclusion, plasmapheresis is an effective and reasonable treatment option in Nephrology practice for cases that do not respond to standard immunosuppressive therapy