What is the treatment and long term prognosis of SAAG?
Since SAAG is a result of active infection, appropriate selection of antibiotic therapy is the key to stopping the ongoing antigenemia that is fueling the production of immune complexes.
The use of immunosuppressive therapy would be absolutely contraindicated, given the fact that these patients are actively infected with Staphylococcus and that sepsis could ensue if their immune systems were compromised.
The immune complexes in PSGN are short-lived and often resorb without long-term sequelae. In SAAG, depending on the timing and elimination of the bacteria, significant residual kidney disease is often present in more than 50% of patients. This consists of proteinuria, hematuria, and a persistently lower GFR, with some patients progressing to dependence on dialysis. Advanced age and the presence or absence of diabetes play major roles in determining the outcome of SAAG.
