Treatment and Prognosis
Treatment involves medications to suppress the immune system, including high-dose prednisone and cyclophosphamide. In single cases methotrexate may be also helpful . Therapy results in remissions or cures in 90% of cases. Untreated, the disease is fatal in most cases. The most serious associated conditions generally involve the kidneys and gastrointestinal tract. A fatal course usually involves gastrointestinal hemorrhage, infection, myocardial infarction and/or renal failure.
In case of remission, approximately 60% experience relapse within five years. In cases caused by hepatitis B virus, however, recurrence rate is only approximately 6%.
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