Clinicopathological study of renal biopsy cases with predominant IgM deposition with particular reference to disease entity of IgM nephropathy

• Published in: Nihon Jinzo Gakkai shi Vol. 28; no. 10; pp. 1399 - 1409
• Main Authors: MAEDA, SHINICHI, ISHIHARA, SATOSHI, KOBAYASHI, SATORU, YAMADA, AMI, MIGITA, TOMOFUSA, KITAJIMA, WAICHI, KOBAYASHI, KATSUTOSHI, NISHIURA, TSUNEO, KAWAMURA, SADAO, TSUJIMOTO, SHIRO
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japan Japanese Society of Nephrology 01.10.1986
• Subjects: Biopsy; focal glomerular sclerosis; Glomerular Mesangium - pathology; Glomerulonephritis - immunology; Glomerulonephritis - pathology; Humans; IgM; IgM nephropathy; Immunoglobulin M - analysis; Kidney - pathology; Kidney Glomerulus - pathology; minimal change nephrotic syndrome; minor glomerular abnormalities; Nephrosis, Lipoid - pathology
• ISSN: 0385-2385; 1884-0728
• DOI: 10.14842/jpnjnephrol1959.28.1399

The significance of predominant IgM deposition in the glomerulus was studied using renal biopsy cases of various primary as well as secondary glomerular diseases, and the disease entity of so-called IgM nephropathy proposed by Cohen et al. was particularly discussed. Out of 616 renal biopsies carried out during the 10 years' period from 1975 to 1984, 50 cases showed sole or predominant IgM deposition. The incidence was higher in children (19 %) than in adults (7%). IgM deposition was frequently seen in focal glomerular sclerosis (FGS), pre-eclamptic nephropathy and end-stage kidneys at the rates of 100%, 60% and 89% respectively. However, minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) showed a much lower incidence of 4%. Only two cases of FGS and minor glomerular abnormalities, both 13 years old at biopsy, were compatible with so-called IgM nephropathy. The serum IgM level in the cases with predominant IgM deposition was higher than that in normals, but not significantly higher than that in cases of IgA nephropathy, membranous nephropathy or MCNS. In conclusion, the disease entity of IgM nephropathy seems to be questionable in terms of clinical incidence, particularly in adults.