Membranous glomerulonephritis

Abstract

We report on 59 patients with membranous nephropathy, 37 male and 22 female, aged between 15 and 72 years (33.2 +/- 11.5). Light microscopy was performed in all cases, immunofluorescent in 53 and electron microscopy in 10 cases. Clinical data (renal function, nephrotic syndrome and hypertension) were taken into consideration. Follow-up period was 6 months to 16 years. The outcome of the disease was on 5 ways: I (17 patients)-long remission without proteinuria or with a presence of non-nephrotic proteinuria, II (11 patients)-relapsing disease, III (22 patients)-persistent nephrotic syndrome with slow progressive renal failure, IV (3 patients) rapid development of chronic renal failure and V (5 cases) remission after long period of occurrence of nephrotic syndrome and elevated serum levels of urea and creatinine. Predictors for the poor prognosis were male sex, elevated serum creatinine and hypertension at biopsy (clinical) and tubulo-interstitial changes (morphologic).