Prevalence of kidney involvement during the first year of follow-up in patients with Henoch-Schönlein purpura in a pediatric institution in Bogotá, Colombia

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Henoch-Schonlein purpura is the most common vasculitis in children, with kidney involvement remaining the main cause of morbidity and mortality. The spectrum of kidney involvement ranges from mild symptoms to the development of a nephrotic and/or nephritic syndrome or kidney failure. Objective To determine the clinic features at onset, and kidney involvement of patients with a final diagnosis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura during the first month, 3 months, and up to the first year of follow-up. Methods A retrospective study conducted on patients with a final diagnosis of Henoch-Schonlein purpura in a Pediatric Rheumatology Department in an institution of Bogota, Colombia, during the period between 2010 and 2016. Results The study included 86 patients, 42 girls and 44 boys. The median age at disease onset was 5.3 years (SD 2.4 years: range 1–14 years). Kidney involvement was present in 39/86 (45%) patients. A trend to kidney involvement was observed in patients with abdominal symptoms (p = 0.053). The most frequent clinical finding was isolated proteinuria (49%), followed of proteinuria/hematuria (28%), and isolated hematuria (15%). Renal biopsy was performed on 8/39 patients with Henoch-Schonlein purpura nephritis. The mean follow-up was 26.8 months (SD 17 months: range 1–72). There was no evidence of kidney damage in the last assessment in any of the 39 patients with kidney involvement. Conclusion In this group of patients, kidney involvement was more severe and common in the first weeks of the disease onset.