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. 2010 Mar;51(2):239-43.
doi: 10.3349/ymj.2010.51.2.239. Epub 2010 Feb 12.

Antibody status in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

Ji-Whan Han  1 , Kyung-Yil Lee, Ja-Young Hwang, Dea-Kyun Koh, Joon-Sung Lee
Affiliations

Antibody status in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome

Ji-Whan Han et al. Yonsei Med J. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Purpose: The pathophysiology of hypogammaglobulinemia in nephrotic syndrome (NS) remains unknown. We evaluated the differences in the distribution of anti-bacterial antibodies and anti-viral antibodies, and those of immune antibodies and natural antibodies in steroid-sensitive NS.

Materials and methods: We examined the antibody status of 18 children who had routine vaccinations. The levels of immnunoglobulin G (IgG), the IgG subclasses, and the antibodies induced by vaccinations such as diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus and measles-mumpsrubella were analyzed in children with steroid-sensitive NS.

Results: There was a positive correlation between the albumin and IgG values (r = 0.6, p < 0.01), and the four IgG subclasses were all evenly depressed in the nephrotic children during the acute stage of the disease. The antibodies induced by bacterial antigens were depressed and the seropositivity of anti-viral antibodies tended to be lower than those of age-matched control children during the acute stage. The depressed immune antibody status recovered rapidly in the remission stage of NS, despite corticosteroid treatment.

Conclusions: IgG levels correlated positively with albumin levels, and all antibodies, including immune and natural antibodies, were depressed in the acute stage of NS. Our results suggest that hypogammaglobulinaemia in NS may be associated with intravascular homeostasis of oncotic pressure.

Keywords: IgG; IgG subclasses; Nephrotic syndrome; children; diphtheriapertussis-tetanus; hypogammaglobulinaemia; measles-mumps-rubella; minimal change; natural antibodies.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Positive correlation between albumin and immunoglobulin G (IgG) values.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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