Nephrotic syndrome in the elderly

Thirty-one patients who developed nephrotic syndrome when greater than 60 yr of age and who underwent renal biopsy are presented. In this group of the patients the most common histologic diagnosis was membranous nephropathy (52%); other diagnoses were amyloidosis (16%), end-stage renal disease (13%), chronic glomerulonephritis (9%), minimal change disease (6%), and lupus nephritis (3%). The prognosis in all these patients was poor; most of them died or were in terminal renal failure during the following-up period.