What is the typical course for a patient with Minimal change disease?
Most children (60% to 75%) with MCD experience relapses of the disease, and sometimes they are frequent—three or more relapses per year. Relapses tend to be precipitated by infections, particularly upper respiratory infections, or allergies.
Approximately 50% to 75% of adults who respond to steroids will have a relapse, and 10% to 25% become frequent relapsers.
A minority of patients develop steroid dependence of variable severity where the patient cannot be tapered off the prednisone.
The steroid dependence can vary from being maintained in remission on low-dose, alternate-day steroids to requiring high-dose, daily steroids to maintain a remission.
