Background@#The worldwide
incidence of renal
disease diagnosed by a
kidney biopsy varies with age,
race,
sex, and region. Owing to a lack of studies and limited
research resources for this
disease in
Korea, we investigated renal
disease patterns by analyzing data from
kidney biopsies performed over 13 years in a
university-based
teaching hospital in
Korea. @*
Methods@#Among 2,053
kidney biopsies performed from 2001 to 2013 at Kyungpook National
University Hospital, 1,924 were retrospectively analyzed for histopathologic, demographic, and clinical data as well as
laboratory results. @*Results@#Among the 1,924 studied
kidney biopsies, 1,078 were
males (56.0%) and the mean age was 37.7 ± 16.5 years. Asymptomatic urinary
abnormalities were the most common clinical manifestation (62.5%).
Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) was the most common primary glomerular
disease (37.4%), followed by
minimal change disease (MCD),
membranous nephropathy (MN), focal segmental
glomerulonephritis and crescentic
glomerulonephritis.
Secondary glomerular
diseases accounted for 10.3% of the total
biopsies, with
lupus nephritis being the most common (4.6%) followed by
Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis and
diabetic nephropathy. The most common cause of
nephrotic syndrome was MCD (42.1%) followed by MN. Among
patients seropositive for
hepatitis B or C, IgAN (28.3% and 21.4%, respectively) was the most common cause. @*Conclusion@#IgAN and
lupus nephritis were the most common primary and
secondary glomerular
diseases, respectively.
Race, region, and practice patterns may
affect renal
disease patterns in different cohorts.