Epidemiology of Idiopathic Glomerular Disease in a French Area: A Prospective Study

Abstract

For the diagnosis of idiopathic glomerular disease (IGD), renal biopsy is required. Indications for renal biopsy may varie from country to country (1) and these geographic variations in the incidence and prevalence of IGD may, at least in part, reflect differences in the indications for renal biopsy. On the other hand, these observed differences may be also influenced by screening procedures for detecting asymptomatic patients. This data would be particularly true to explain incidence rates of IgA nephropathy found much lower in United States and United Kingdom than in France or Japan where young people and workers undergo routine screenings for renal disease (1) (2). In this prospective study, the incidence of IGD in a adult population over 15 years of age was determined by means of renal biopsies taken for a period of twelve years (1976–1987). Because a close cooperation with public health institutions for detecting renal diseases we were able to approach the real incidence of IGD in a French area.