In some cases, intravenous corticosteroids may be needed to control bleeding in the lungs. Depending on the patient’s response to therapy, treatment with immunosuppressive drugs may continue for six to 12 months.
Treatment of Goodpasture syndrome also usually includes a procedure called plasmapheresis. This helps remove harmful antibodies from the blood.
During this procedure, about 300 milliliters of blood at a time are drawn from the body and placed in a centrifuge. The centrifuge separates the red and white blood cells from the plasma, the component that contains Goodpasture syndrome antibodies. Then the red and white blood cells are mixed into a plasma substitute and returned to the body.
