[Clinical, immunological and therapeutic research in mesangial immunoglobulin-A glomerulonephritis]

Forty seven patients with IgA glomerulonephritis (GN) were studied. The males predominated among them--the ratio males-female--2,9:1. The first clinical manifestations were macroscopic hematuria (in 2/3 of the cases) or only urine changes--low-degree proteinuria and microscopic erythrocyturia. As early as the establishment--38,2 per cent of the patients had elevated arterial pressure, and it reached, 59,5 per cent during the follow-up period. Anemia was rare. Manifestations of nephrotic syndrome were absent. ESR was normal in 1/3 of the employees or slightly accelerated. Chronic renal insufficiency developed 6,31 per cent of the patient all of them males. Terminal renal insufficiency developed 8 patients. The elevated arterial pressure, proteinuria over 2g/24 h, accelerated ESR, high serum levels of IgA, the longer duration of the disease and higher age of the patients to a certain extent--were unfavourable prognostic criteria. The basic immune deviations of IgA GN are the high serum levels of IgA (in 53,1% of the patients) and to a lower extent of IgG (in 17% of the patients) as well as the reduced serum levels of C3 (in 31,9% of the patients). CIC are not a frequent finding. The percentage of ERF is lower than in the healthy subjects. The treatment with a combination of azathioprine (acenocoumarol, indomethacin or levamisole) has no effect on the clinical manifestations and evolution.