[Goodpasture's syndrome. Development of its prognosis from 1955 to 1982]

A retrospective study of 258 reports of Goodpasture's syndrome published from 1955 to 1982 has made it possible to follow changes in prognosis and to determine the present prognostic factors. In these 27 years, the mortality rate has dropped from 86% to 13%, and 51% of the patients now survive without dialysis. Death from respiratory failure virtually disappeared as soon as plasmapheresis was introduced. However 36% of patients are still threatened with chronic renal failure, the risk being higher in patients with initial oliguria or anuria and with extra-capillary crescents involving more than 50% of glomerules, and still higher when these two factors coexist. In such a case, only 21% of patients may hope to survive in renal autonomy.