title: Lack of clinical evidence for a specific HIV-associated glomerulopathy in 203 patients with HIV infection.
abstract: Several authors described a high incidence of proteinuria with frequent progression to nephrotic syndrome and/or renal failure in patients with HIV infection. Though renal histological changes were rather non-specific, the existence of a specific, HIV-associated glomerulopathy was postulated. We repeatedly investigated proteinuria and serum creatinine in 203 HIV-infected patients. One hundred and twenty-two patients (group 1) had early stages of the disease without opportunistic infections, 81 suffered from acute opportunistic infections (group 2). In patients with a positive qualitative test (Combistix), quantitative measurement (Biuret) for proteinuria was carried out; when proteinuria was greater than 0.5 g/24 h, SDS gel electrophoresis was performed. None of the patients of group 1 had a proteinuria greater than 0.5 g/24 h or an elevated serum creatinine. Eleven of 81 patients from group 2 had a proteinuria between 0.5 and 3 g/24 h; one further patient of group 2 developed a transient proteinuria of 7.7 g/24 h. Only three of the proteinuric patients showed a glomerular pattern in SDS gel electrophoresis, all three during acute CMV or EBV infections. Fourteen of 81 group 2 patients showed a transient elevation of serum creatinine (x +/- SD of the maximum serum creatinines: 225.3 +/- 163 mumol/l), most during pentamidine therapy for Pneumocystis carinii infection; one patient treated with high-dose acyclovir had to be temporarily dialysed. In the investigated 203 HIV patients no nephrotic syndrome and no sustained elevation of serum creatinine greater than 200 mumol/l was observed. All cases of proteinuria and elevation of serum creatinine were associated with severe opportunistic infections and the administration of potentially nephrotoxic antibiotics.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Medical School, Hannover, Germany.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brunkhorst
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Brunkhorst
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Eisenbach
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schedel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Deicher
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Koch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003404:Creatinine / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000652:urine; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000652:urine; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009894:Opportunistic Infections / Q000150:complications; D011507:Proteinuria / Q000150:complications
chemical_list: D003404:Creatinine