Antiglomerular basement membrane antibody mediated disease in the British Isles 1980-4

Clinical and pathological data on 71 patients from throughout the British Isles who developed antiglomerular basement membrane antibody mediated nephritis in the period 1980-4 were studied. Two principle patterns of disease were recognised: young men presenting in their 20s with Goodpasture's syndrome (glomerulonephritis and lung haemorrhage) and women presenting in their 60s with glomerulonephritis alone. The effect of treatment on prognosis of a total of 108 patients was also reviewed (the 71 patients plus patients seen before 1980 at Hammersmith Hospital). Treatment with prednisolone, cytotoxic drugs, and plasma exchange hastened the time to clearance of autoantibody and improved the outlook of patients who were not dependent on dialysis and those with lung haemorrhage.