Correlation between Serum Albumin Level and IgG Level in Minimal Change Nephrotic Syndrome

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Hypogammaglobulinemia has been observed in nephrotic syndrome, but its pathophysiology remains unknown. We evaluated the relationship between the serum IgG and albumin levels for children with minimal change nephrotic syndrome(MCNS). METHODS: The levels of immunoglobulin G(IgG), albumin and total cholesterol of a total of 46 children with MCNS(proteinuria >40 mg/m2/h, and serum albumin level <2.5 g/dL) were analyzed. RESULTS: The mean values of albumin, IgG and total cholesterol in MCNS children were 1.7+/-0.3 g/dL, 368+/-143 mg/dL and 431+/-78 mg/dL, respectively. There was an inverse correlation between the albumin values and the total cholesterol values(r=0.68, P=0.0001), whereas there was a direct-proportional correlation between albumin values and the IgG values(r=0.4, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: The IgG level is associated with albumin level, and it may reflect the severity of urinary protein loss in MCNS. Further studies are needed to evaluate this phenomenon.