title: Tubulo-interstitial alterations in type I membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. An investigation of 259 cases.
abstract: A total of 259 kidney biopsies with type I membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) were evaluated, and five grades of glomerular alterations were compared to the following four categories of tubulo-interstitial findings: no changes, interstitial fibrosis (IF), acute renal failure (ARF), ARF and IF combined. The tubulo-interstitial findings proved to be unrelated to the severity of the glomerular alterations. Severe glomerular lesions can be associated with completely normal interstitium and tubules. Conversely, low-grade glomerular lesions may be accompanied by severe tubular and/or interstitial lesions. When the renal cortical interstitium and tubules were normal, then creatinine and blood pressure values were within the normal range; however, these values were significantly elevated in the presence of IF and/or ARF. It is concluded from these findings that in MPGN type I the disturbance in the excretion function of the kidney is caused primarily by tubulo-interstitial changes rather than by glomerular lesions.
mesh_terms: D058186:Acute Kidney Injury / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D005921:Glomerulonephritis / Q000145:classification / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D007684:Kidney Tubules / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged