[Primary glomerulopathies in Lithuania: a retrospective analysis of renal biopsy cases (2000-2006)]

A retrospective study of 1363 native kidney biopsies, performed at Lithuanian nephrology units and investigated at the National Center of Pathology during the period of 2000-2006, was carried out. Inflammatory glomerulopathies constituted 63.6% of all primary glomerulopathies (834 cases); IgA nephropathy was the most frequent disease (35.0%). The incidence of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis decreased from 22.6% reported in Lithuania previously (1995-1999) to 16.7% in this study; however, it was still higher compared to most European countries. Extracapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis and diffuse endocapillary proliferative glomerulonephritis accounted for 9.1% and 4.4%, respectively. Noninflammatory glomerulopathies were relatively rare: focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis made up 14.8%; minimal change disease, 9.7%; membranous nephropathy, 7.4%. However, their incidence increased compared to the previously reported in 1995-1999 (9.5%, 5.8%, and 4.3%, respectively). It can be concluded that inflammatory glomerulopathies were predominant in Lithuania in 2000-2006; however, these glomerulopathies were less prominent as compared to the previously reported data in 1995-1999.