Kidney involvement in Takayasu arteritis

CER2958
2007 Vol.25, N°1 ,Suppl.44
PI 0010, PF 0014
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PMID: 17428356 [PubMed]

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:
To evaluate whether the presence of glomerulonephritis is or is not associated with the extent of arter-ial wall inflammatory cell infiltrate in Takayasu arthritis (TA).
METHODS:
Retrospective chart and pathology review of large artery and kidney specimens of TA autopsy cases. Kidney specimens were classified, according to their histopathological findings, in those with specific glo-merular entities and those with non-specific, ischemic and/or hypertensive, glomerular changes. A control group of autopsy kidney specimens was utilized for comparison. Morphometric analysis was used to assess the extent of the arterial inflammatory infiltrates; results were compared among the different groups with kidney lesions.
RESULTS:
We included 25 kidney specimens from 25 autopsies. Specific glo-merular entities were present in 14 specimens; 10 (40%) were classified as diffuse mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis (DMPG [Group A]), and 4 (16%) as other associated glomerulopathies (Group B). Non-specific changes were observed in 11 (44%) specimens (Group C). The arterial inflammatory infiltrate proportion was 9.4 % for group A, 1.4% for group B, and 2.7% for group C. Furthermore, a larger proportion of vascular inflammation was confirmed for group A when compared with the other groups (p < 0.05). Group A patients were younger than those in groups B and C (p < 0.005) and exhibited shorter disease duration.
CONCLUSIONS:
The presence of DMPG was associated with a larger extent of vascular inflammatory cell infiltrate, suggesting a relationship between both phenomena.