ОСОБЕННОСТИ ИММУННОГО СТАТУСА У БОЛЬНЫХ ГЛОМЕРУЛОНЕФРИТАМИ С РЕФРАКТЕРНЫМ НЕФРОТИЧЕСКИМ СИНДРОМОМ

Abstract

Abstract. Introduction. Research in the issues related to glomerulonephritis with nephrotic syndrome is an important problem of modern medicine due to their prevalence among the global population and mainly in the younger age group, with a significant proportion of patients with refractory nephrotic syndrome (frequent relapses, persistent course). Currently, there are no ways to predict the development of glomerulonephrites with refractory nephrotic syndrome. Due to the immunological nature of glomerulonephrites, it seems advisable to search for predictors of refractory nephrotic syndrome among the indicators characterizing the patient’s immune status. Aim of the study was to study the characteristic features of the immune status and their prognostic value in glomerulonephritis with refractory nephrotic syndrome. Materials and Methods. We examined 136 glomerulonephritis patients with active nephrotic syndrome, hospitalized in the nephrology department in 2015-2021. Along with conventional examinations, humoral and T-cell immunity indicators were tested in the patients. The end point of the study was in 2022 where the the clinical course of the disease was assessed in patients, and patients with nephrotic syndrome who showed refractory to steroid therapy were placed into one group, while those with non–refractory nephrotic syndrome were placed into another one. Within the selected groups of patients, we performed the comparative study of demographic, clinical and laboratory parameters, the indicators of humoral and T-cell immunity, and the ROC analysis of indicators correlating with the nephrotic syndrome recurrence frequency. Results and Discussion. In the group of patients with a refractory course of the disease, an increase was detected in the number of T helper phenotype cells and of the activated T cells carrying activation markers, HLA-DR and CD38, on their surfaces. At the same time, the relative content of regulatory T cells (Treg) among T helper cells decreased. The B system was characterized by an increase in the number of B lymphocytes, an increase in the levels of circulating immune complexes and IgM, and a decrease in IgG levels. The changes detected in the parameters of humoral and T-cell immunity may be essential to the development of refractory nephrotic syndrome. In the refractory nephrotic syndrome pathogenesis, the most important is the decrease in the number of Tregs, which correlated most closely with the nephrotic syndrome recurrence frequency. Conclusions. An association was found between refractory nephrotic syndrome and the pronounced activation of humoral immunity, and a significant imbalance was detected between various immunoregulatory and activated T-lymphocyte subpopulations. The Treg content in the blood can be a prognostic indicator: Treg content values of under 1.9% indicate a high probability of developing refractory nephrotic syndrome.