Kidney disease in Bahrain: a biopsy-based epidemiological study.

Area of Science:

• Nephrology
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Previous biopsy-based surveys in Bahrain tracked renal diseases from 1990-2002.
• This study extends the analysis to assess disease trends from 2003-2006.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the incidence and patterns of renal diseases in Bahrain using biopsy data.
• To compare current findings with previous data to identify changes in disease trends.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 145 renal biopsies from 130 patients between January 2003 and October 2006.
• Comparison of disease incidence and patterns with a prior 13-year study (1990-2002).

Main Results:

• Glomerular diseases accounted for 64.8% of biopsies, followed by transplant biopsies (23.4%).
• Minimal change disease-focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (MCD-FSGS) complex remained the most frequent primary glomerular disease.
• Significant increases were noted in immunoglobulin A nephropathy and lupus nephritis, with a rise in allograft biopsies.

Conclusions:

• The overall incidence of renal biopsies per capita remained consistent over 15 years.
• While the overall pattern of glomerular diseases is stable, specific conditions like lupus nephritis and IgA nephropathy are increasing.
• The rising number of allograft biopsies suggests an increasing trend in kidney transplantation or related complications.