[Nephrotic syndrome in adults: anatomopathological aspects]

The objective of this study was to describe the histological features of the nephrotic syndrome in adults, at the Donka National Hospital of the University Hospital of Conakry. This was a prospective study ranging from March 1^st 2003 to March 30th 2004, including all patients older than 15 years of age hospitalized for nephrotic syndrome. Twenty patients were selected for the study; 12 men and 8 women, with a sex ratio of 1.5. Ages ranged between 26 and 40 years with a mean of 26.2 ± 8.1 years. Seven patients were between the ages of 21 and 25 .All patients had normal renal function and normal blood count.

All viral serology tests were negative. The glomerular lesions observed were segmental and focal glomerular sclerosis in 40%, followed by minimal glomerular lesions for 35%, membranous glomerulonephritis in 5% of the cases and in 15% of the cases, the lesions were indeterminate.

Further studies should be done on a greater scale on one hand, and on the other move towards finding the primary or secondary causes of these glomerulopathies.