What are the common immunosuppressants used to treat kidney disease?

  1, general nephrotic syndrome patients with hormone alone is very effective, you do not need to add other immunosuppressive drugs. Immunosuppressants for nephrotic syndrome include cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine A, mycophenolate, azathioprine, tacrolimus, leflunomide, etc. Cyclophosphamide is the more traditional and classical drug, and is a very common immunosuppressant for nephrotic syndrome in hormone-ineffective or dependent patients. Cyclosporine A, mycophenolate, tacrolimus, etc. are more expensive.  In patients with microscopic lesions and membranous nephropathy, mycophenolate (trade name Snapdragon) or cyclosporine A can be used if the patient is young and needs to have children. New clinical trials have shown that tacrolimus is also effective in the treatment of membranous nephropathy.  Patients with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis require a combination of hormones and cyclophosphamide, or cyclosporine A if cyclophosphamide is ineffective or if gonadotoxicity is a concern. Patients with lupus nephritis and ANCA-associated small vessel vasculitis require a combination of hormones and cyclophosphamide for induction therapy (that is, when the disease is not in remission). For maintenance therapy when the disease is stable, azathioprine can be used at 1-2 mg/Kg/day, but it is important to note that many patients will experience a decrease in white blood cells if this drug is used at 100 mg/day. The combination of hormone and primaquine can also be used in the unremitting phase of the disease, and tacrolimus is also used for treatment.  5.Leflunomide (trade name Eroflav) was first used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, but recently it has been tried to treat lupus nephritis, and some scholars have also used it to try to treat IgA nephropathy, FSGS (focal segmental glomerulosclerosis).  6, Leigong vine polysaccharide is the preparation extracted from Chinese medicine Leigong vine, which has certain immunosuppressive effect, some scholars believe that it has certain efficacy on purpura nephritis, and also on glomerulonephritis to reduce urine protein. However, because it also has side effects such as liver damage, gonadal suppression and leukocyte decline, it is now gradually replaced by drugs of the AECI and ARB classes.