Medium-term renal involvement in adult patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura.

Introduction. The aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of medium -term renal involvement, in a series of adult patients with Henoch-Schonlei n purpura treated in a dermatology department. Patients and methods. Seventeen patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura foll owed from 1991 to 1997 in the department of dermatology were included in th e study, Renal tests included: research of microscopic hematuria, proteinur ia, plasma creatinine levels and calculated creatinine clearance which were measured during initial hospitalization and at the date of the study in Ma y 1998 Results. to men and 7 women (mean-age 51 years) were followed up for 39 mon ths (6 to 79 months). initial renal involvement was observed in ii patients (65 p. 100). A microscopic hematuria was also observed in 9 patients (53 p . 100), a proteinuria in 6 (35 p. 100), an association of hematuria and pro teinuria in 4 (23.5 P 100) NO patient had renal failure. In May 1998, only 2 patients (11.7 P 100) had renal involvement, that consisted of proteinuri a: 3.3 and 3.9 g/d respectively, with no renal failure. Discussion. The 65 p. too frequency of renal involvement discovered during the acute phase of HSP in our series was similar toc,ther series mentioned in the literature, which mainly consisted of hematuria and/or proteinuria. The frequency of long-term renal involvement depends on the origin of patie nt recruitment. Nephrological studies have reported high levels of renal in volvement, that probably overestimated the true frequency. In the present s tudy, as well as in two other studies from a non-nephrological recruitment, the frequency of long-term renal involvement was estimated between 11 p. 1 00 and 16 p. 100 and was primarily persistent proteinuria. Conclusion. The frequency of renal involvement in the adult patient with HS P during the acute phase of the disease and after a medium-term follow-up w as approximately 50 p. 100 and between 11 p. 100 to 16 p. 100 respectively.