1. Rapid renal failure in AIDS-associated focal glomerulosclerosis
- Author
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Langs, Charles, Gallo, Gloria R., Schacht, Robert G., Sidhu, Gurdip, and Baldwin, David S.
- Subjects
Acute renal failure -- Causes of ,Glomerulonephritis -- Causes of ,AIDS (Disease) -- Complications ,Health - Abstract
The most common kidney abnormality in patients with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is focal glomerulosclerosis (FGS), the formation of fiber-like tissue within the glomeruli, the blood-filtering units of the kidney. Patients with AIDS-related FGS develop proteinuria, or the abnormal presence of proteins in the urine, and uremia, a toxic condition associated with retention in the blood of toxic nitrogen-containing substances. Patients with moderate proteinuria and slightly impaired kidney function develop hyperplasia or overgrowth of the mesangial cells that provide structural support for the glomeruli. The clinical and laboratory findings and disease progression were assessed in 18 patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex complicated by glomerular disease. Fifteen patients developed FGS, characterized by the partial or complete collapse of the walls of the capillaries, the small blood vessels of the glomeruli; two patients developed mesangial hyperplasia; and one, membranous nephropathy, another form of glomerular disease leading to kidney capillary wall damage. Patients with FGS had proteinuria and rapidly developed kidney failure within a year of diagnosis. This type of FGS was characterized by a rapid disease progression and uremia. The lack of extensive glomerular sclerosis (hardening of tissue) and the rapid disease course suggest that AIDS-related kidney disease may be due to disorders of circulation within the kidney. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
- Published
- 1990