Nephrotic Syndrome, an 18-years study. Matanzas

Abstract

Latin American countries show a significant increase of chronic kidney diseases prevalence, as indicator of the new epidemiology and then impact of technology in its determinism. The Idiopathic Nephrotic Syndrome justifies around 90% of nephrosis cases in childhood. With the objective of knowing the clinical and epidemiological characteristics in our province, an applied, descriptive and retrospective study has been carried out on the behaviour of the Primary Nephrotic Syndrome, where 57 patients had been studied since January 1990 to December 2008. The cases were characterized according to the following demographic variables: onset age, gender; primary or secondary stages of the disease were identified; the patients were classified according to their response to the corticosteroid treatment and the evolution and more frequent complications were known. Obtained data were processed using statistic methods (incidence rate, absolute numbers and percentage). The following results were obtained: the incidence was 3.6 per 100 000; 56.1 % started between 3 and 5 years old; 61.4% were males; 92% is at the primary stage; 59,6% are corticosensitive at the beginning of the treatment; respiratory infections were the most frequent complications and the main cause of relapse. Among the patients treated with biopsy GNFS (General nephrotic syndrome) occupied 12.3 %, followed by the Mesangial Diffuse Glomerulonephritis with 8.8 %; 78.9 % behaved as Primary Nephrotic Syndrome with Minimal Lesions. These results are comparable with other results, where an incidence of 2 per 100 000 children under 16 years old is stated in North America.