Frequent association of mesangial glomerulonephritis and alcohol abuse: a study of 3 ethnic groups

Renal and hepatic samples were obtained from 121 forensic autopsies. In 64% of 107 individuals with evidence of alcohol abuse (AA), mesangial changes of mild cellular increase, deposits of IgA and IgM, and electron-dense deposits were found, with significantly higher incidence than seen in 14 controls. This mesangial glomerulonephritis (mesGN) was not limited to subjects with cirrhosis but was also observed in individuals with noncirrhotic alcoholic liver disease. Therefore, AA could be relevant in a larger number of mesGN patients than formerly suspected. When cases were separated by ethnicity, the incidence and severity of alcoholic liver disease were found to be essentially the same in American Indians, Hispanics, and Anglos. At the same time, mesGN in individuals with evidence of AA was more frequent in American Indians (87%) than in Caucasians (47%) (P less than 0.0001), with no statistically significant differences between Hispanics and Anglos. The possibility of ethnic influences on the predisposition to alcohol abuse-related mesGN is raised, although the importance of different patterns of alcohol ingestion cannot be ruled out.