| Abstract: | Nephrotic syndrome was the commonest clinical presentation among2827 consecutive adult Indian patients from whom adequate kidneydiopsies were obtained for suspected renal disease. In 83 percent of cases the nephrotic syndrome was due to minimal changedisease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, mesangiocapillaryglomerulonephritis, membranous glomerulonephritis, lupus glomerulonephritisor diabetic glomerulosclerosis. Amyloidosis, usually secondaryto tuberculosis or leprosy, was present in only 34 patients.Acute nephritis, the next most frequent clinical presentation,was due to diffuse endocapillary proliferative, crescen-ticor mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis in 88 per centof cases, almost half of whom had elevated serum streptococcalantibody titres. Eosinophilia showed a highly significant associationwith diffuse endocapillary proliferative and mesangiocapillaryglomerulonephritis. Idiopathic IgA nephropathy was present inonly 10, and antiglomerular basement membrane antibody diseasein only one, of the 238 patients whose biopsies were studiedby immunofluorescence. Complications of pregnancy accounted for 70 per cent of casesof cortical necrosis. Acute gastroenteritis, septicaemia, abortions,snake bite and allopathic and indigenous medicines were importantcauses of acute tubular necrosis. |
