[Immunotactoid glomerulonephritis].

Immunotactoid glomerulonephritis is a rare disease of unclear etiology and pathogenesis. Clinically immunotactoid glomerulonephritis manifests itself as the nephrotic syndrome in most cases. The diagnosis of the disease is based on electron microscopic findings and characterized by tubules, average 30 nm in diameter, aligned in parallel in the deposits of immune complexes. Light optic and immunohistochemical studies in this disease are not pivotal. Further investigation may reply to a number of questions at the formation of deposits of immune complexes and procedures of their elimination.

[Clinicomorphological features of nephropathy in primary and secondary antiphospholipid syndrome].

AIM: To investigate specific features of extrarenal manifestations of antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) in patients with APS-associated nephropathy (APSN) in primary APS and lupus nephritis (LN) with secondary APS; to compare clinicomorphological signs of APSN in primary and secondary APS. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 44 APSN patients with primary APS and 90 patients with LN: 57 with secondary APS, 33 with antiphospholipid antibodies (APA) without history of thrombosis. In addition to clinical and immunological examination, detection of serological APS markers, morphological examination of renal tissue and ultrasound dopplerography (USDG) of the renal vessels were made (in some patients) for assessment of the condition of intrarenal vascular bed. RESULTS: In patients with primary APS, renal disorder and secondary APS in LN frequency of arterial thrombosis doubles that of venous ones. Renal disorder irrespective of a clinical APS form (primary, secondary) combines with affection of the CNS, heart and skin (livedo). This correlates with frequency of arterial thrombosis. In patients with primary APSN rate of arterial hypertension (AH), especially severe, and renal dysfunction is higher than in LN with APS while this group is characterized by more severe proteinuria, microhematuria and higher incidence of nephrotic syndrome. A direct correlation exists between the incidence of arterial thrombosis and severity of AH, between AH and renal ischemia by USDG. Morphologically, glomerulosclerosis, marked arteriolosclerosis and diffuse interstitial sclerosis occur more often in patients with primary APSN compared to LN patients with APS. CONCLUSION: In primary and secondary (in SLE) APS combination of APSN with impairment of the CNS, heart and skin, correlation of its basic clinical manifestations with arterial thrombosis allow us to single out a special clinical variant of APS manifesting with generalized ischemic lesions of the organs as a result of arterial/arteriolar thrombosis. Irrespective of its nature, APSN has common characteristic features--combination of AH, persistent renal dysfunction and transitory hypercreatininemia--correlating with development of arterial thrombosis; therefore, this pathology can be considered as a variant of thrombotic vascular lesion of the kidneys.

[Clinical and morphological characteristics of lupus nephritis in systemic lupus erythematosus with antiphospholipid syndrome].

AIM: To ascertain clinical and morphological features of lupus nephritis (LN) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: Immunological markers of SLE and APS, clinical picture, urine indices were examined in 138 patients with SLE, APS and renal dysfunction. RESULTS: LN associated with APS is characterized with marked arterial hypertension, such patients had arterial thromboses more frequently than patients with isolated LN. Patients with anticardiolipin antibodies have arteriolosclerosis, in APS - diffuse interstitial sclerosis. CONCLUSION: Renal impairment in SLE may run not only with LN but also with thrombotic microangiopathy modifying clinical symptoms and course of the disease.

[Clinical significance of myocardial lesion in antiphospholipid syndrome].

Antiphospholipin syndrome (APLS) is one of the most frequent reasons for arterial and venous thromboses. Primary and secondary APLS can lead to thrombotic process in coronary arteries. The biggest diagnostic difficulties appear in cases of small coronary vasal involvement leading to diffuse myocardial lesion. Perfusion myocardial scintigraphy (MS) allows specification of the character of myocardial changes. Revealing of myocardial changes by means of MS makes it possible to start timely anticoagulative therapy, which significantly improves prognosis and life quality.

[Clinical manifestations of APS-nephropathy in primary antiphospholipid syndrome]. / Klinicheskie proiavleniia nefropatii, sviazannoi s antifosfolipidnym sindromom, pri pervichnom antifosfolipidnom sindrome.

AIM: To elicit clinical features of nephropathy associated with antiphospholipid syndrome (APSN) in patients with primary antiphospholipid syndrome (PAPS). MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis of clinical characteristics and course of APSN has covered 24 patients with PAPS (16 females and 8 males, mean age 34.3 years). Renal damage was represented by arterial hypertension (AH), urinary syndrome, functional decline. All the patients were tested for anticardiolipin antibodies and/or lupus anticoagulant. Renal biopsy was made in 7 patients. RESULTS: PAPS patients developed renal affection in the onset of APS or within the first 5 years of its course. In the majority of patients APSN combined with abnormalities of CNS, heart and skin. Arterial/arteriolar thromboses prevailed. APSN manifested with: AH (n = 23, severe AH in 11), abnormal renal filtration (n = 17, creatinine rise in 8), urinary syndrome with proteinuria (n = 23, in 14 with hematuria). The following clinical variants of APSN were proposed: urinary syndrome with AH (n = 16; 67%), acute nephritic syndrome (n = 7; 29%), nephrotic syndrome (n = 1). Morphological studies of biopsies from APSN patients have revealed sclerotic changes, thrombotic microangiopathy, nonspecific alterations in the glomeruli. CONCLUSION: APSN is a variant of microvascular renal affection caused by thrombotic processes in intra-organ microcirculation. It is an early clinical marker of APS. Clinically, APSN manifests with vascular renal affection, the earliest symptom being inhibition of glomerular filtration. Clinical combinations of the symptoms allow to distinguish variant of APSN suggesting the existence of acute and chronic APSN. Combination of APSN with affection of the CNS, heart and skin points to a special PAPS subtype characterized by generalized ischemic damage to the organs as a result of intraorganic arterial and/or arteriolar thromboses.