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The incidence and severity of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis over a 22-year period in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan

  • Nephrology - Original Paper
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Abstract

Background

Recently, there have been a few reports on the decrease in the incidence of severe Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis (HSPN) in Japan. To evaluate the incidence and the severity of HSPN, we examined the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of HSPN in Fukushima Prefecture over a 22-year period.

Methods

We enrolled 61 patients (Group 1) diagnosed with HSPN between 1987 and 1997 and a further 59 patients (Group 2) diagnosed with HSPN between 1998 and 2008. Epidemiology, clinical features, laboratory data, pathological findings, treatment and outcome were retrospectively compared between the two groups.

Results

The mean number of patients per 100,000 children per year was 3.5 ± 1.2 in Group 1 and 3.6 ± 0.8 in Group 2. The clinical manifestations and laboratory findings at onset were comparable between Groups 1 and 2. Pathological findings in Group 1 and Group 2 were classified as ISKDC grade IIIa in 16 (26%) and 14 cases (24%), grade IIIb in 26 (43%) and 27 cases (46%), grade IV in 5 (8%) and 6 cases (10%)), grade V in 1 (2%) and 5 cases (8%), and grade VI in 2 (3%) and 2 cases (3%), respectively. There were no inter-group differences in ISKDC classification or rate of crescentic formation.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that the incidence of HSPN and the severity of HSPN in patients between 1987 and 1997 were similar to those in patients between 1998 and 2008 and that the number of patients with severe HSPN has not decreased.

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Acknowledgments

The authors thank the members of the Department of Pediatrics for their valuable advice and comments in relation to this study. None of the authors have financial relationships with any companies with an interest in the subject matter of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, 1 Hikariga-oka, Fukushima City, Fukushima, 960-1295, Japan

    Yukihiko Kawasaki, Kazuhide Suyama & Mitsuaki Hosoya

  2. Department of Pediatrics, Fukushima Red Cross Hospital, Fukushima, Japan

    Eichi Yugeta

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Some General Hospital, Soma, Japan

    Masahiko Katayose

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Ohara General Hospital, Fukushima, Japan

    Shigeo Suzuki

  5. Department of Pediatrics, Hoshi General Hospital, Koriyama, Japan

    Hiroko Sakuma

  6. Department of Pediatrics, Shirakawa General Hospital, Shirakawa, Japan

    Kenji Nemoto

  7. Department of Pediatrics, Iwase General Hospital, Sukagawa, Japan

    Akira Tsukagoshi

  8. Department of Pediatrics, Takeda General Hospital, Aizu, Japan

    Katsutoshi Nagasawa

Authors
  1. Yukihiko Kawasaki
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  2. Kazuhide Suyama
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  3. Eichi Yugeta
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  4. Masahiko Katayose
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  5. Shigeo Suzuki
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  6. Hiroko Sakuma
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  7. Kenji Nemoto
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  8. Akira Tsukagoshi
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  9. Katsutoshi Nagasawa
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  10. Mitsuaki Hosoya
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yukihiko Kawasaki.

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Kawasaki, Y., Suyama, K., Yugeta, E. et al. The incidence and severity of Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis over a 22-year period in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Int Urol Nephrol 42, 1023–1029 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-009-9701-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-009-9701-3

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