Nephrotic syndrome--no evidence for a role for IgE

Abstract

It was not possible to demonstrate the presence of IgE in glomeruli of nineteen patients with the idiopathic nephrotic syndrome, using immunofluorescent techniques. Nine patients had minimal lesions, six were untreated; three had mesangial proliferation, all were untreated; seven had focal glomerular sclerosis, four were untreated. Occasional areas of smudgy positive staining were seen in glomeruli of six nephrotic patients with fluorescein-tagged goat anti-IgE but not with an immunologically identical, stronger rabbit anti-IgE. The pattern of staining and absorption studies indicated that this did not reflect the presence of IgE. Experience was similar with kidney biopsies from seventeen patients with a variety of renal diseases, including three with diffuse membranous nephropathy, and six patients who were kidney transplant donors.

A mesangial pattern of staining for IgM and β₁C globulin was present in seventeen of the nineteen biopsies from patients with nephrotic syndrome and either minimal changes or focal glomerular sclerosis.