IgA nephropathy in the Caribbean case reports

IgA nephropathy can be considered the most common cause of primary glomerulopathy in developed countries. There has been no report of cases of IgA nephropathy from Caribbean countries. The authors report five cases of IgA nephropathy from Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana, diagnosed from biopsy studies. No cases were of African origin and some did not have the typical presentation associated with IgA nephropathy. Caribbean nephrologists are reminded that this entity can be seen in Caribbean patients and can only be diagnosed through immunofluorescence staining of renal biopsy specimen. This diagnosis is required for the proper management of patients with glomerular disease, particularly when there may be progression to end stage renal failure as can occur in up to twenty per cent of patients with IgA nephropathy. Accurate diagnosis is important, since disease recurrence can be seen in the transplanted kidney, but this does not often lead to graft failure.