Spectrum of Glomerular Diseases in North India and its Clinicopathological Correlation – An Observational Study

Abstract

Introduction: Glomerular diseases (GDs) have varied presentations in adults. The spectrum varies from benign to aggressive presentations. Materials and Methods: We conducted an observational prospective study at a tertiary care teaching hospital in North India from July 2020 to June 2022 to evaluate GD’s spectrum and clinicopathological correlation. All kidney biopsies conducted during this period were considered as per inclusion and exclusion criteria, and detailed history and clinical examination were done. Results: One hundred and twenty-six kidney biopsies were evaluated as per inclusion and exclusion criteria. The mean age was 37.77 ± 17.73 years. Overall, the male-to-female ratio was 2.3:1 while the male-to-female ratio in lupus nephritis (LN) is 0.37:1. Primary GD (PGD) dominated among males whereas secondary GD (SGD) was more common in females. Nephrotic syndrome (NS, 44.5%) and acute kidney injury 27% were the most common clinical syndromes. The most common symptoms were edema and frothuria in NS (70%), and hematuria in acute nephritic syndrome 59%, whereas fatigue and gastrointestinal symptoms (44%) dominated in SGDs. The PGD-to-SGD ratio was 61.1:38.9. The most common PGD was immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN, 22.1%), followed by minimal change disease (MCD, 20.8%), whereas LN (22.5%) was the prominent SGD, with Class IV + V (36.4%) being most common. Conclusion: GDs have a multitude of presentations – from asymptomatic urinary abnormalities to crescentic ones. IgAN and MCD were the most common of PGD whereas LN was the most common SGD.