[Changes in the kidney tubules in different forms of glomerulonephritis]

Changes in the renal tubules were studied by light microscopy in 106 puncture biopsies of the kidneys of patients with glomerulonephritis (GN). A certain regularity in the rate of finding of dystrophic and atrophic changes of the tubular epithelium in different morphological types of GN and a correlation of these changes with the level of proteinuria and values of the tubular functions of the kidneys were established. The most severe and extensive changes predominate in the proximal parts of the nephron and are associated with the involvement of the stroma and blood vessels of the kidneys, allowing the differentiation of tubular, tubulo-interstitial, and tubulo-interstitial-vascular components of GN. Changes in the stroma and vessels correlate with the values of glomerular filtration and concentration capacity of the kidneys and aggravate the decreased tubular functions.