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Epidemiological, clinical and prognostic indices in IgA nephropathy
Author(s) -
D'AMICO Giuseppe
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
nephrology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1440-1797
pISSN - 1320-5358
DOI - 10.1111/j.1440-1797.1997.tb00181.x
Subject(s) - medicine , epidemiology , nephropathy , incidence (geometry) , proteinuria , disease , glomerulonephritis , renal biopsy , presentation (obstetrics) , pathology , biopsy , surgery , kidney , diabetes mellitus , endocrinology , physics , optics
Summary: IgAN is the commonest primary glomerulonephritis in all parts of the world; the different incidence reported in different geographical areas is mainly due to different biopsy policies, even though genetic factors, still unclarified, may be acting. Progression to ESRF occurs in IgAN at a variable rate (average renal survival at 10 years is 80–87%), and many studies, reviewed in this paper, have sought to identify clinical and histological features which are predictive of the outcome. A functional impairment at presentation and a severe proteinuria are the most powerful clinical indicators of unfavourable prognosis, while both glomerular and interstitial sclerosis are the most reliable histological indicators. The fact that these prognostic indicators are not always reliable in predicting the outcome for a single patient, probably due to the pathophysiology of the progressive damage in this disease, is stressed.