[Clinico-morphological characteristics and working classification of kidney diseases in patients with systemic...

Based on a study of 110 patients with systemic scleroderma (SSD) (74 had involved and 36 uninvolved kidneys) the authors provide the clinico-functional and morphological characteristics of renal lesions and the working classification of sclerodermic nephropathy (SN). The two basic variants of SN were recognized: acute and chronic. The latter one was subdivided into clinical, moderate and pronounced SN. A correlation was revealed between the functional (glomerular filtration lowering) and ultrastructural (reticulation of endotheliocytes and thickening of the basal membrane of the glomerular capillaries) signs evidencing derangement of the microcirculatory bed. Morphological examination of the kidneys disclosed alterations that mirror the complex pathogenesis of SSD: derangement of the microcirculatory bed, immunopathological disorders, activation of connective tissue components.