ABSTRACT
To determine the histopathological patterns of glomerulonephritis according to the clinical presentation. This is a retrospective analysis of light microscopy results of native kidney biopsies done during the period of January 1[st], 2005 until December 31[st], 2008. There were 273 native kidney biopsies performed during this period. Data were collected from the computer data base of Princess Iman Research and Laboratory Center, King Hussein Medical Center, Amman, Jordan. All biopsies were examined by our renal histopathologist. The most common indication was nephrotic syndrome and the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome in our patients was membranous glomerulonephritis. The main cause of subnephrotic proteinuria was minimal change disease and focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis. Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis was the most frequent finding in patients presenting with microscopic hematuria. In acute nephritis the most common lesions were crescentic, diffuse proliferative and necrotizing glomerulonephritis. Acute tubular necrosis was the most common cause of acute kidney injury. Changes of end stage kidney disease were the most frequent findings in patient with chronic kidney disease. In patients with systemic lupus erythematosus with renal involvement, the most common lesion was class IV lupus nephritis. Kidney biopsy is an extremely helpful investigation and it should be performed once indicated. There is a need for a national registry of kidney biopsies. The histopathological findings are similar to other studies done in Jordan and in the neighboring countries