Assessment of Ten-Year-Long Results of Kidney Biopsies Performed on Children in the Thrace Region of Turkey.

BACKGROUND Many children with kidney diseases can be diagnosed and treated without a biopsy. However, biopsy is a valuable method for the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of children with kidney diseases. AIMS To evaluate the clinical and pathological profiles of the kidney biopsies in our department to provide epidemiological data for clinical practice. STUDY DESIGN Retrospective cross-sectional study. METHODS Kidney biopsies and patient's charts in pediatric patients performed between May 2005 and February 2015 at the Pediatric Nephrology Department, Trakya University School of Medicine were assessed retrospectively. RESULTS A total of 100 patients were examined. Their mean age was 9.62±4.26 years (range: 1-17 years); 54% of the patients were girls and 46% were boys. The most frequent indication for kidney biopsy was nephrotic syndrome (33%). The most common kidney disease was primary glomerulonephritis, which was observed in 65% of cases. IgA nephropathy (24%) was the most frequently observed subtype in primary glomerulonephritis groups. Secondary glomerulonephritis was diagnosed in 35% of cases. Systemic lupus erythematosus (51%) was the most frequently observed subtype in the secondary glomerulonephritis groups. CONCLUSION IgA nephropathy and systemic lupus erythematosus were the most frequent primary and secondary glomerulonephritis in our region among children, respectively.