title: Anti-glomerular basement membrane glomerulonephritis: a morphologic study of 80 cases.
abstract: Anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) glomerulonephritis is a rare disease caused by IgG autoantibodies against the glomerular basement membrane. We describe clinical and pathologic findings in a series of renal biopsy specimens from 80 patients. The patients ranged in age from 16 to 87 years. The age distribution was bimodal, with one peak at a young age predominated by males and a second peak in the sixth to eighth decades with females predominating. Most patients (70 [88%]) had severe necrotizing glomerulonephritis with crescents in more that 50% of glomeruli. The fraction of crescentic glomeruli in biopsy specimens correlated well with serum creatinine levels but not with serologic titers for anti-GBM antibodies. Interstitial fibrosis was uncommon and, when present, minimal to mild. Linear IgG deposition defines this entity, but immunofluorescent costaining for other immunoglobulins and complement is found frequently. To our knowledge, this is the largest series of renal biopsy specimens with anti-GBM glomerulonephritis studied to date.
authors.affiliation: Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Edgar G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Donna J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Lager
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D019867:Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D000906:Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D001323:Autoantibodies; D001706:Biopsy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D007678:Kidney Glomerulus / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009336:Necrosis; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D001323:Autoantibodies; C051951:antiglomerular basement membrane antibody