Mucosal immunity in primary glomerulonephritis. III. Study of intestinal permeability

To study the specificity of gut hyperpermeability in primary glomerulonephritis, we investigated intestinal permeability by means of 51Cr-EDTA testing in 20 healthy individuals and in 30 patients with Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgA GN), 25 with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS) and 20 with immune complex glomerulonephritis (IC-GN; membranous+membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis). Gut permeability was statistically increased in each patient group versus the controls [controls: 2% (0.4-3.9); IgA GN: 3.25% (0.7-17.70); INS: 3.71% (0.82-10); IC-GN: 3.40% (0.30-16); results are median (range); p < 0.005, nonparametric Mann-Whitney test]. An increase in intestinal permeability exceeding the upper limit of control values (95th percentile) was observed in 36% of IgA GN, 60% of INS and 50% of IC-GN patients. We conclude that intestinal permeability is frequently increased in primary glomerulonephritis and may also be increased in types of glomerulonephritis other than IgA GN.