Comparison of clinical, pathological and long-term renal outcomes of children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis and IgA nephropathy

Purpose To compare clinical, pathological, and long-term renal outcomes of children with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Methods The medical records of patients diagnosed as HSPN and IgAN during childhood were evaluated retrospectively. HSPN and IgAN groups were compared in terms of gender, age, upper respiratory infection history, blood pressure; presence of nephrotic and/or nephritic syndrome; hemoglobin level, leukocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP), serum albumin (sAlb), creatinine, complement 3 (sC3), complement 4 (sC4) and immunoglobulin A (sIgA) levels; estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and proteinuria levels; and renal pathology findings at the onset of disease; total follow-up time; and blood pressure, eGFR and proteinuria levels at the last visit. Results Fifty-four patients were enrolled in the study [38 (70%) HSPN and 16 (30%) IgAN]. The median follow-up time was 60.5 and 72.0 months in HSPN and IgAN groups, respectively (p > 0.05). The HSPN and IgAN groups were also not different in terms of gender, age at the onset; leukocyte count, eGFR, sC3-sC4-sIgA levels; and the presence of endocapillary, extracapillary and mesangial proliferation, tubular atrophy, interstitial fibrosis and IgA, IgM, C3 accumulation in renal tissue. Upper respiratory tract infection history was more common in children with IgAN (8/16 vs 8/38, p = 0.045). sAlb (3.96 +/- 0.58 vs 4.40 +/- 0.46 g/dL, p = 0.005), hemoglobin (12.1 +/- 1.3 vs 13.3 +/- 1.2 g/dL, p = 0.004,) and the incidence of mesangial IgG deposition (15/38 vs 11/16, p = 0.049) were lower, while CRP (16.3 +/- 7.2 vs 7.8 +/- 4.4 mg/L, p = 0.002) and proteinuria (72.1 +/- 92.4 vs 34.2 +/- 37.9 mg/m(2)/24 h, p = 0.041) was higher in HSPN group at the onset of disease. Proteinuria and eGFR were similar between the two groups at last visit. Conclusion Children with HSPN and IgAN have little clinical and histological differences in our population. The most prominent difference at presentation with nephritis was higher proteinuria in HSPN probably associated with inflammation due to systemic vasculitis. Long-term renal outcome was good in both HSPN and IgAN.

Automated summary

The study compared the clinical, pathological, and long-term renal outcomes of children with HSPN and IgAN, finding little difference between the two in our population. HSPN patients had higher proteinuria at the onset of nephritis, likely associated with inflammation due to systemic vasculitis, but both groups showed good long-term renal outcomes.