Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 42 No. 4, 2003.
Professional paper
Nephrotic Syndrome in the Elderly
Krešimir Galešić
Danica Ljubanović
Mirjana Sabljar-Matovinović
Inge Prkačin
Ivica Horvatić
Ivana Račić
Abstract
The incidence of certain types of glomerular diseases is different in the elderly as compared with younger patients. Many different histologic appearances can be identified; however, membranous nephropathy is the most common type. Underlying malignancy has been thought to be responsible for 5 to 10 percent of cases of membranous nephropathy in adults, with the highest risk in patients over age 60. A solid tumor such as carcinoma of the lung or colon is most frequently involved. It is presumed that tumor antigens are being deposited in the glomeruli, which is followed by antibody deposition and complement activation, leading to epithelial cell and basement membrane injury and proteinuria due to the associated increase in glomerular permeability. In the present study, 33 patients aged over 60 with nephrotic syndrome were analyzed. Fourteen (42%) patients had membranous nephropathy, three of them with underlying malignancy.
Keywords
Kidney diseases - diagnosis; Kidney diseases - pathology; Nephrotic syndrome - pathology; Biopsy; Age factors; Aged
Hrčak ID:
14698
URI
Publication date:
1.12.2003.
Visits: 2.791 *