[Plasma level of complement fractions C3 and C4 in children with glomerular nephropathies. Correlations with morphological and immunopathological studies of renal biopsies]

Abstract

The measurement of the plasmatic level of C3 may easily be included in the record of all glomerular nephropathies. Its decrease is an important argument for the diagnosis of post-infectious acute glomerulonephritis, or renal involvement in sepsis supervening to a ventriculo-atrial diversion. Variations of C3 level are of major importance in the management of the nephropathies in systemic lupus. Besides these special etiological circumstances, a persisting low level of C3 most often cooresponds to a membrano-proliferative glomerulonephritis especially of the type characterized by intra-membranous dense deposits.