title: Long-term outcome 19 years after childhood IgA nephritis: a retrospective cohort study.
abstract: We evaluated the natural long-term outcome after childhood IgA nephritis. Altogether 55 patients with biopsy-proven IgA nephritis were identified, 37 (67%) responded to the health questionnaire and 31 (56%) participated in the medical examination after a mean follow-up of 18.7 years (SD 6.2; range 8.5-29.8). The results of medical examination, onset data and the re-analysis of original biopsies of 31 participants were used when analyzing the predictive factors for persistent nephropathy, i.e. constant proteinuria/hematuria or end-stage renal disease (ESRD). All patients' medical history data were obtained from regional hospitals and renal survival data from the national kidney register. Six (11%) of the 55 identified patients had developed ESRD. Sixteen (52%) of the 31 participants were not attending for regular follow-up visits after the acute phase. Twenty-two (71%) had renal symptoms and 12 (39%) were receiving drugs for hypertension/proteinuria at their latest follow-up visit. The chronicity index and total biopsy score in the first renal biopsy were higher in patients with persistent nephropathy or ESRD than in those without (p=0.022 and p=0.014, respectively). Nine (69%) of the 13 subjects who had been over 16 years of age at diagnosis had persistent nephropathy or ESRD, compared with 4 (22%) of the 18 subjects who had been under 16 years of age (relative risk 3.1, 95% CI 1.2-8.0). Pregnancy complications were common: 12 (55%) of the 22 pregnancies had been complicated by proteinuria and/or hypertension, and the prematurity rate was 30%. Long-term follow-up during adulthood is needed even after mild childhood IgA nephritis, especially in women during and after pregnancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescence, Oulu University Hospital, P.O. Box 23, 90029, Oulu, Finland. Matti.Nuutinen@ppshp.fi
authors.forename: Jaana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ronkainen
authors.forename: Marja
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ala-Houhala
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Autio-Harmainen
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jahnukainen
authors.forename: Olli
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Koskimies
authors.forename: Jussi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Merenmies
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mustonen
authors.forename: Timo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ormälä
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turtinen
authors.forename: Matti
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nuutinen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies