Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis: no longer the same disease and may need very different treatment

Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) is a pattern of glomerular injury that may be primary or secondary to infections, autoimmune diseases and haematological disorders. Primary C3G and IC-MPGN are rare and the prognosis is unfavourable. Based on immunofluorescence findings, MPGN has been classified into complement-mediated C3 glomerulopathy (C3G) and immune complex-mediated MPGN (IC-MPGN). However, this classification leaves a number of issues unresolved. The finding of genetic and acquired complement abnormalities in both C3G and IC-MPGN indicates that they represent a heterogeneous spectrum rather than distinct diseases. An unsupervised hierarchical clustering in a cohort of patients with primary C3G and IC-MPGN identified four distinct pathogenetic patterns, characterized by specific histologic and clinical features, and genetic and acquired complement abnormalities. These results provide the groundwork for a more accurate diagnosis and the development of targeted therapies. The drugs that are currently used, such as corticosteroids and immunosuppressants, are frequently ineffective in primary C3G and IC-MPGN. Eculizumab, an anti-C5 monoclonal antibody, has been used occasionally in single cases or small series. However, only a few patients have achieved remission. This heterogeneous response could be related to the extent of terminal complement activation, which may vary substantially from patient to patient. Several drugs that target the complement system at different levels are under investigation for C3G and IC-MPGN. However, clinical trials to test new therapeutics will be challenging and heavily influenced by the heterogeneity of these diseases. This creates the need to characterize each patient to match the specific complement abnormality with the type of intervention.