Q: I am 51 years old male living with minimal change disease for about 4 years now. Currently, I am on Cyclosporine (100 mg daily) and Prednisone (60 mg daily). I just wanted to know if there is any new research or information available on my condition?

A:Steroids (e.g. Prednisone) are the first line of treatment for Minimal Change Disease (MCD). After an initial treatment with a high dosage of oral prednisone for several weeks (at least 12 weeks), one is maintained on prednisone for a period intended to keep the underlying disease from recurring. If the disease recurs, as is obvious from the worsening proteinuria - increased protein leakage in the urine - inspite of being on prednisone or if the dosage of prednisone cannot be reduced without the relapse of proteinuria, one is treated with various immunosuppressive medications including cyclophosphamide and cyclosporine. It appears that you are being treated with the combination of the above medications at the dosage intended to prevent the relapse of the disease while minimising the side effects arising from the drugs. This is the standard care for MCD. There are some other immunosuppressive medications being used in other kidney diseases but they have not been tried or proven to have a significant effect in MCD.