Author Affiliations: Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China (Li JG, Ding J, Wang F, Zhang HW)

Corresponding Author: Jie Ding, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, No. 1, Xianmen Dajie, Beijing 100034, China (Tel: 8610 66551122 ext 3236; Fax: 8610 66134261; Email: djnc_5855@126.com).

doi:10.1007/s12519-009-0059-5

Background: Proteinuria is one of the risk factors for the progression of renal diseases including Alport syndrome (AS), a hereditary glomerular renal disease. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and/or tripterygium, a Chinese herbal medicine widely used in Chinese patients with hematuria and proteinuria, on proteinuria in patients with AS.

Methods: Twenty-nine children were enrolled into this retrospective study. Patients were divided into 3 therapy groups: ACEI group, tripterygium group, and ACEI plus tripterygium group.

Results: In the 29 children, 23 were male and 6 female. In the ACEI group and the tripterygium group, the effective rate was 87.5% and 25.0%, respectively and in the ACEI plus tripterygium group was 42.9%.

Conclusions: ACEI is effective in controlling proteinuria of AS patients. Tripterygium should be carefully administered in controlling proteinuria of AS patients.

Key words: Alport syndrome; angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor; herbal medicine; tripterygium

                World J Pediatr 2009;5(4):308-311