Research advances of rituximab in the treatment of children with frequent relapse or steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome

Idiopathic nephrotic syndrome （INS） is the most common and challenging glomerular disease in childhood and most children respond favorably to glucocorticoid therapy. However, up to half of INS patients present with steroid-dependent or frequently-relapsing nephrotic syndrome so that selecting proper treatment regimens has remained one great clinical challenge. Rituximab （RTX） for nephrotic syndrome is generally efficacious. However, clinical outcomes vary greatly at different centers. This review summarized the effectiveness and risk of different RTX protocols for children with steroid-dependent or frequently-relapsing nephrotic syndrome.