Glomerular IgA deposition in liver disease.

like lesion, occasionally with IgA and IgM deposition, Introduction and characteristic ultrastructural changes including endothelial cytoplasmic projections and granular matIgA nephropathy associated with liver disease (hepatic erial in a widened subendothelial space with clusters IgAN) is the commonest form of secondary IgAN. It of vesicles in the mesangium and glomerular capillary is particularly common in alcoholic liver disease, which wall [4]. The available information comes from autitself is associated with disorders of the IgA immune opsy studies or from studies which have used a wide system [1,2] but also occurs in other forms of cirrhosis range of criteria for biopsy. No systematic prospective and chronic hepatitis. It is characterized by microscopic study in a large population of cirrhotics has been haematuria, proteinuria, elevated serum IgA levels and undertaken that would provide robust incidence data, mesangial deposits of IgA. Although usually a clinically nor have large cohorts been studied to define the silent condition, a small percentage of patients present association of hepatic IgAN with other chronic liver with nephrotic syndrome and renal impairment that disease, such as non-alcoholic cirrhosis or chronic can rarely progress to end-stage renal failure. hepatitis. It has been suggested that these observations are simply the coincidence of two common conditions, alcoholic cirrhosis and primary IgAN [5] although the Is hepatic IgAN a distinct clinicopathological majority of evidence suggests that hepatic IgAN is a entity? distinct clinicopathological entity [4].