BACKGROUND: The number of glomerulus has been considered one of the etiologic factors especially for focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. However. glomeruli are too many to calculate them correctly. Although the fractionator method has became convinced, in which they used selected sections, not whole kidney sections, with same intervals, it is also very hard to get good results. Because it is still very time-consuming and laborous work which leads to make big observers' biases. METHODS AND MATERIALS: We designed the index for glomerular number to estimate the tendency of increase or decrease of the number of it in different kidneys and which was evaluated by other conventional methods including fractionator method. Index was based upon the theory by 1\yengaard: "the number of glomerulus correlates with the weight of kidney, which is positively correlated with body weight". Calculating formula is the number of glomeruli/surface areas of cortices which contain calculated glomeruli multiplies by kidney weight/body weight. RESULTS: We applied this index to kidneys of FGS/Kist mouse and those of RFM/ Nga mouse. The former is spontaneous glomerulosclerosis modelwith heavy protein uria and renal failure and the latter is the mother side of FGS/Kist mouse but has no glomerular disease or protein uria. The number of glomerulus of FGS/Kist mouse was decreased by 30% to those of RFM/Nga mouse. CONCLUSION: This index was useful and reliable for estimating the relative glomerular number between two groups.
Animals ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Humans ; Kidney ; Mice ; Mothers ; Renal Insufficiency

To evaluate the distribution and changing patterns of renal diseases in Korea, a total of 4,514 cases of renal biopsy collected over a 23-year period between 1973 and 1995 were reviewed. Of 4,200 cases excluding 314 unsatisfactory biopsies, adult cases comprised 59.5% and pediatric cases, 40.5%. The male to female ratio was 1.5:1 in adults and 2.2:1 in children. Glomerulonephritis (GN) comprised 80.0% of the total. The most common primary GN in adults was minimal change disease (MCD) (26.6%), followed by IgA nephropathy (IgAN) (22.1%), membranous GN (MGN) (11.8%), and membranoproliferative GN (MPGN) (5.9%). In children, the primary GN incidence rates were MCD (24.8%), IgAN (10.3%), poststreptococcal (including postinfectious) GN (PSGN) (8.6%), and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) (4.0%). The most common secondary GN in adults was lupus nephritis and in children Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis. The most common cause of nephrotic syndrome was MCD in both adults and children, followed by MGN and FSGS. The elderly, aged sixty years and older, comprised 2.7% of cases and recorded equal numbers of MCD and MGN. The proportion of the biopsies found to be seropositive for HBs antigen was 27.9%, and these showed either MGN or MPGN pattern. Repeat biopsy was performed in 168 patients, due to previous biopsy failure in 15.5%. When the primary GN cases were analyzed at 5-year intervals, the prevalence of PSGN, which was greater than 25% during the 1973-1982 period, decreased abruptly in children thereafter, whereas the prevalence of FSGS increased slowly since the 1988-1992 period in both adults and children. The decrease of PSGN and the increase of FSGS suggest a role for socioeconomic and environmental factors in Korea.
Adult ; Age Distribution ; Biopsy ; Child ; Female ; Glomerulonephritis/pathology ; Glomerulonephritis/epidemiology ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal/pathology ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal/epidemiology ; Human ; Kidney/pathology* ; Kidney Diseases/pathology* ; Kidney Diseases/epidemiology* ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Age ; Prevalence ; Sex Distribution

BACKGROUND: We performed this study to elucidate the incidence and the types of glomerular diseases present in young Korean men. METHODS: Between January 1998 and December 2000, 222 military conscripts were submitted to 13 military hospitals for renal biopsy after poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) had been excluded. Clinical data and renal biopsies were reviewed retrospectively. On the basis of this data, we obtained the annual detection rate of glomerular disease in military conscripts. We also ascertain the prevalence of glomerular disease in pre-induction medical examination during the same period. RESULTS: Total two hundred and ten cases of glomerulonephritis including 30 cases of PSGN were diagnosed on renal biopsy. After additional six patients with nephrotic syndrome were included, total 216 patients were diagnosed as glomerular disease. Among one hundred and eighty six patients excluding the patients with PSGN, 90 cases presented with asymptomatic urinary abnormality, 63 nephrotic syndrome, 25 acute nephritis, 8 chronic GN. In exclusion of PSGN, the most common glomerular diseases observed were those due to IgA nephropathy (42.8%), minimal change disease (15.6%) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (14.4%). IgA nephropathy was most common (57%) in 96 patients presented with asymptomatic urinary abnormality. On the basis of the figures in this study the average number of annually detected cases of GN was 13.8 per 100,000 Korean Amy. During the same period an annual average of 70.0 per 100,000 young men were exempted from military service because of Glomerulonephritis. CONCLUSION: Average number of annually detected cases of glomerulonephritis is 13.8 per 100,000 and IgA nephropathy is most common in young Korean conscripts.
Biopsy ; Epidemiology ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Hospitals, Military ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Nephritis ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies

BACKGROUND: We performed this study to elucidate the incidence and the types of glomerular diseases present in young Korean men. METHODS: Between January 1998 and December 2000, 222 military conscripts were submitted to 13 military hospitals for renal biopsy after poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (PSGN) had been excluded. Clinical data and renal biopsies were reviewed retrospectively. On the basis of this data, we obtained the annual detection rate of glomerular disease in military conscripts. We also ascertain the prevalence of glomerular disease in pre-induction medical examination during the same period. RESULTS: Total two hundred and ten cases of glomerulonephritis including 30 cases of PSGN were diagnosed on renal biopsy. After additional six patients with nephrotic syndrome were included, total 216 patients were diagnosed as glomerular disease. Among one hundred and eighty six patients excluding the patients with PSGN, 90 cases presented with asymptomatic urinary abnormality, 63 nephrotic syndrome, 25 acute nephritis, 8 chronic GN. In exclusion of PSGN, the most common glomerular diseases observed were those due to IgA nephropathy (42.8%), minimal change disease (15.6%) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (14.4%). IgA nephropathy was most common (57%) in 96 patients presented with asymptomatic urinary abnormality. On the basis of the figures in this study the average number of annually detected cases of GN was 13.8 per 100,000 Korean Amy. During the same period an annual average of 70.0 per 100,000 young men were exempted from military service because of Glomerulonephritis. CONCLUSION: Average number of annually detected cases of glomerulonephritis is 13.8 per 100,000 and IgA nephropathy is most common in young Korean conscripts.
Biopsy ; Epidemiology ; Glomerulonephritis ; Glomerulonephritis, IGA ; Glomerulosclerosis, Focal Segmental ; Hospitals, Military ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Nephritis ; Nephrosis, Lipoid ; Nephrotic Syndrome ; Prevalence ; Retrospective Studies