title: Ultrastructural changes of glomerular basement membrane in IgA nephritis: relationship to hematuria.
abstract: Ultrastructural changes in the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) of 415 samples from 344 patients with IgA nephritis, were examined for potential relationship to hematuria. The GBM showed various alteration: splitting, thinning, membranolysis with swelling of the lamina rara externa and interna, forming of small projections, and rupture. These lesions were present in 48% of IgA nephritis and in 16% of the controls. In the IgA nephritis group, the patients with hemispherical mesangial dense deposits had the highest rate (60%) of capillary wall abnormalities. Such lesions were more frequent in patients biopsied during severe hematuria (80%) than in those biopsied without hematuria (33%), (p less than 0.01). It is assumed that the ultrastructural abnormalities of GBM may contribute to the clinical evidence of severe hematuria.
authors.affiliation: Gerhard-Domagk-Institut für Pathologie, Westfälischen Wilhelsm-Universität Münster, Federal Republic of Germany.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taguchi
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: von Bassewitz
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Grundmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takebayashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001485:Basement Membrane / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005920:Glomerular Mesangium / Q000648:ultrastructure; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006417:Hematuria / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D010587:Phagocytosis