MESANGIAL DEPOSITS OF IGM IN PATIENTS WITH THE NEPHROTIC SYNDROME

  • 1 January 1981
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 16  (5) , 230-234
Abstract
Kidney biopsies from 14 patients with the nephrotic syndrome were studied by light, immunofluorescence and EM. Morphologically all cases showed moderate diffuse mesangial cell proliferation. In all cases, immunofluorescent microscopy demonstrated diffuse and generalized deposits of IgM as the sole or predominant immunoglobulin. EM examination showed electron dense deposits localized in the mesangium in 7 cases. One nephrotic patient experienced spontaneous remission and 8 others were steroid responsive. Only 1 of the 5 steroid resistant patients treated with chlorambucial showed clinical remission. Steroid responsive patients (5) relapsed. At present, 4 patients are healthy, having not relapesed for the past 2 years. Although deposites of IgM may be related to the renal pathology in cases of the nephrotic syndrome, immunofluorescence findings do not seem to be sufficiently consistent or characteristic to justify a possible subclassification of the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.