Proteinuria in non-renal infectious diseases.

Abstract

Abstract. The urinary excretion of total protein, orosomucoid, albumin, transferrin, and IgG, has been determined in 19 children and 23 adults with various nonrenal infectious diseases. Furthermore urine muramidase was estimated in 39 of these patients (16 children, 23 adults). An often considerably increased urinary protein excretion (“febrile proteinuria”) was found in 74% of the children, with a maximal output of 2283 mg/24 h, and in 83% of the adults, maximal output 3350 mg/24 h. In all cases an increased excretion of orosomucoid was found, but in many cases the excretion of the other proteins determined was increased as well, which excludes a prerenal mechanism as the only factor responsible for the increased protein excretion. The hypothesis is put forward that infections result in an immunological injury of the glomerular and/or tubular basement membrane, which might be of pathogenetic importance in the development of renal diseases.