Proteinuria persistente en pacientes pediátricos, caracterización histopatológica y su influencia en la progresión de la enfermedad renal crónica

Objective: To describe the histopathological findings and their progression of chronic kidney disease in pediatric patients who underwent kidney biopsy due to persistent proteinuria during 2005-2015 at a high-complexity hospital in Medellin, Colombia. Methods: A retrospective, cohort study was carried out; the medical records of children under 18 with diagnosis of persistent proteinuria were reviewed. Sociodemographic, clinical, and histopathological variables were analyzed. Results: A total of 71 patients were included. The mean age at the diagnosis of persistent proteinuria was 10.07 years old. 69.1% and 20.6% of the patients had hematuria and hypertension, respectively. Overall, the predominant pathological diagnosis in the current study was IgA nephropathy (21.13%) followed by lupus nephropathy (18.31%). 69.0% of the patients received angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. At the last follow-up, 15.9% presented impaired renal function. Conclusion: In our cohort, the prevalence of glomerulopathies in children with persistent proteinuria was high. We recommended performing kidney biopsy in children with persistent proteinuria. This allows early detection of primary or secondary glomerulopathies to retard progression of renal damage.