The influence of environmental factors on clinical pathological changes of patients with immunoglobulin A nephropathy from different areas of China

Abstract

Objectives: The effects of regional characteristics of IgAN patients in different areas of China were investigated.

Methods: Patients who were identified to have primary IgAN by renal biopsy diagnosis were recruited both from Shaanxi province hospital of traditional Chinese medicine and Guangdong province hospital of traditional Chinese medicine. Besides renal histopathology data, a number of clinical and laboratory data were collected.

Results: It was shown that the frequency of the patients with no mucosal infection in the urinary tract was higher in the Guangzhou group, while the frequencies of upper respiratory tract and biliary infections were lower when compared with those in the Xi’an group. Serum uric acid, alexin C3, creatinine and serum cholesterol concentrations were increased in the Guangzhou group, while triglyceride, glomerular filtration rate, and urine red blood cell count level decreased. IgA + IgM + C3 and IgA + IgG + IgM + C3 were found in most patients of the Xi’an group, whereas IgA + C3, IgA + IgM + C3 and IgA were more frequent in the Guangzhou group.

Conclusion: It was found that differential environment, life habits and patterns in the two investigated areas obviously may influence the variable characteristics of IgAN patients.

Keywords:

• Glomerulonephritis
• IgA nephropathy
• clinical manifestations
• case–control study
• end-stage renal disease

Acknowledgments

Editorial help of Prof Mikko Lammi at the University of Umeå is acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

Financial support for this work was received from National Natural Science Foundation of China [grant number 81673115], Huimin Project of Ministry of Science and Technology of China [grant number 2012GS610101], Department of Health of Shaanxi Province [grant number 2014ZD072], Science and Technology Development Projects of Shaanxi Province [grant number 2014K11-05-05], the Clinical Study on Standardized Management Mode of Chinese Western Medicine in Chronic Kidney Disease [grant number 2017SF-207] and Project of Shaanxi Province Chinese Medicine Administration Bureau [grant number 15-SCJH024]. This work was also supported by China Scholarship Council (CSC).