title: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy: a review of current literature on emerging pathophysiology.
abstract: Immunoglobulin (Ig) A nephropathy is one of the most common causes of glomerulonephritis worldwide. Its prognosis can be totally different in various patient populations, ranging from asymptomatic slow progression to end-stage renal disease in as much as 40% of patients in few months to years. This disease process can be idiopathic, or it can be associated with a variety of disease processes. Various risk stratification scoring systems are available, which can predict the long-term outcome. New evidences are also emerging that IgA nephropathy is an autoimmune disease with a known antigen, galactose-deficient IgA1, which can elicit an autoantibody response and formation of immune complexes that are deposited in the mesangium.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nephrology (UP, ZB) and Department of Internal Medicine (KB), Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
authors.forename: Unnikrishnan
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Pillai
authors.forename: Krishna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Balabhadraputani
authors.forename: Zeenat
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bhat
mesh_terms: D005922:Glomerulonephritis, IGA / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis