title: Nationwide renal biopsy data in Lithuania 1994-2012.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of biopsy-proven kidney diseases in Lithuania and to compare their changes in three different time intervals. All Lithuanian kidney biopsies were performed in the National Center of Pathology, enabling analysis at the national level.
  
  
  METHODS
  The native kidney biopsy data were reviewed, and incidence of renal disorders and patient demographics were compared during three time intervals: 1994-1999, 2000-2006, and 2007-2012.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 5,368 kidney biopsies were performed, including 3,640 native kidney and 1,728 kidney transplant biopsies; 59.5% (2,165) of the native kidney biopsies were classified as primary glomerulopathies. The most common entity was IgA nephropathy (737; 34.0%), followed by focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (285; 13.2%) and membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (256; 11.8%). Prominent decrease in incidence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (16.8 to 8.7% from the first to third time interval) and increase in (mainly, pauci-immune) crescentic glomerulonephritis (6.2 to 15.3%) were noted over the study period. In a subgroup of 427 pediatric native kidney biopsies, IgAN accounted for 24.9% of biopsies. The incidence of MCNS increased dramatically from the first to third time interval (6.3 to 25.4%), while the number of MPGN increased in the second time interval (from 7.2 to 8.9%) but decreased in the third one (to 4.4%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Decrease in relative incidence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, most likely, reflects improvement in socioeconomic conditions, while relative increase in crescentic glomerulonephritis is interpreted as improved diagnostics of the disease.
authors: Faculty of Medicine, Vilnius University, Vilnius, Lithuania, ernestanefro@gmail.com.
authors: Ernesta
authors: E
authors: Brazdziute
authors: Marius
authors: M
authors: Miglinas
authors: Elita
authors: E
authors: Gruodyte
authors: Janina
authors: J
authors: Priluckiene
authors: Algirdas
authors: A
authors: Tamosaitis
authors: Inga Arune
authors: IA
authors: Bumblyte
authors: Vytautas
authors: V
authors: Kuzminskis
authors: Soneta
authors: S
authors: Burbaickaja
authors: Marija
authors: M
authors: Sakalauskienė
authors: Augustina
authors: A
authors: Jankauskienė
authors: Rimante
authors: R
authors: Cerkauskiene
authors: Birute
authors: B
authors: Pundziene
authors: Arvydas
authors: A
authors: Laurinavicius
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007668:Kidney / Q000473:pathology*; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D008097:Lithuania; D008297:Male; D012042:Registries; D012189:Retrospective Studies