Prospective trial of warfarin and dipyridamole in patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

A prospective trial of warfarin and dipyridamole was performed in patients with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Eighteen completed either a control or treatment year, and 13 completed both a control and treatment year. To obviate the bias of excluding control patients who had renal failure after one year, both an unpaired and a paired analysis were performed. The unpaired analysis compared 10 patients followed for an initial control year with eight patients receiving treatment first. Renal function remained stable over the year in the treated group, but worsened in the control group. Slopes of regression lines for reciprocal serum creatinine values were significantly different between groups (p < 0.025). Urine protein excretion also decreased in the treated group. Four of 10 control patients had a two-fold increase in serum creatinine levels, but no treatment patient did. In the paired crossover analysis, significant differences in renal function were detected between control and treatment years in six patients whose renal function significantly changed over one of the years. In every instance, there was better preservation of renal function in the treatment year. Urinary protein also decreased significantly over the treatment year compared with the control year. Bleeding was the most frequent complication. These data suggest that warfarin and dipyridamole have a beneficial effect on renal function in membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis.