Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect multiple organs, including the skin, joints, brain, peripheral nervous system, heart, gastrointestinal tract, and kidneys. Kidney involvement in SLE, generally termed lupus nephritis (LN) , is a major…
## Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and hepatitis B virus (HBV) are the most important causes of viral-related kidney disease in the world. Several mechanisms are involved in the pathogenesis of virus-related kidney disease, including tropism of…
In previous editions, this chapter was titled “Post-infectious Glomerulonephritis,” which aptly describes classic post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) but is a misnomer for the increasingly recognized forms of glomerulonephritis (GN) that are manifestations of ongoing infection. Indeed, infection has a much broader…
## The complement system is a group of proteins that provide an important part of the immune defense against infection. Many components of the complement system circulate as inactive proteins in the plasma. Activation of the complement system generates peptide…
## Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) was first described in 1968 by the Parisian pathologist Jean Berger, and at one time it was known as Berger’s disease . It is the most common pattern of glomerulonephritis (GN) identified in areas of…
## Membranous nephropathy (MN) is the most common cause of adult-onset nephrotic syndrome in the white population. It is characterized by deposition of immunoglobulin G and complement components in the glomerular capillary wall and attendant new basement membrane synthesis. This…
## Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is neither a disease nor a syndrome, but rather a set of clinicopathologic syndromes. The shared histopathologic findings include segmental glomerular scars, often with global glomerular tubulointerstitial scarring, no immunostaining or staining for immunoglobulin M…
Terminology and Histopathology Minimal change disease (MCD) is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome (NS). Also known as lipoid nephrosis, nil disease, and minimal change nephropathy , the kidney histology on light microscopy in MCD is relatively normal and lacks…
Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a predominantly small-vessel vasculitis with a predilection for the kidney and respiratory tract. In the majority of cases, the disease is associated with autoantibodies (i.e., ANCAs) directed against one of two proteins located…
Introduction Glomerular disease is the third most common cause of end-stage kidney disease worldwide. Glomerulonephritis (GN) has diverse presentations and work-up requires serum chemistry, serology, urinalysis with microscopy, and quantification of proteinuria. Patients present with several clinicopathological syndromes that can…