Outcomes and risk factors in patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis: a multicenter cohort study

Patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis have a poor prognosis despite immunosuppressive therapy. This study investigated the clinicopathologic features, outcomes, and risk factors in Chinese patients with crescentic glomerulonephritis.

The multicenter cohort study included consecutive individuals with crescentic glomerulonephritis and a minimum follow-up of 1 year after biopsy, observed from January 2013 to December 2020. Primary outcome was the occurrence of death or end stage kidney disease (ESKD) for surviving patients. Multivariable adjusted Cox proportional hazards model was applied.

Of 109 patients enrolled, 73 (67%) suffered primary outcomes, including 39 deaths, and 34 ESKDs among the 70 surviving patients, with a mean follow-up of 26 months. All 26 patients with over 90% glomeruli with crescents reached a primary outcome. Patients with type III crescentic glomerulonephritis had the worst prognosis for primary outcomes (HR, 95% CI for type I vs. type III: 0.29, 0.14-0.58; type II vs. type III: 0.44, 0.22-0.91) and a significantly faster rate of eGFR decline after adjusting for baseline variables. In patients with 75%-100% glomeruli with crescents, the risk of a primary outcome increased nearly fourfold (HR 3.96; 95% CI 2.17-7.23) compared with patients with 50-75% glomeruli with crescents after adjusting for baseline variables. Type of crescentic glomerulonephritis and percentage of cellular and total glomeruli with crescents were independent risk factors for early primary outcomes (within 6 months).

This study provides new insights into crescentic glomerulonephritis, including a description of the worst outcomes occurring in patients with type III crescentic glomerulonephritis, and suggests that the quantification of the percentage of crescents may be of use for guiding therapeutic decisions, due to their role in identifying the risk of primary outcomes.