PEDIATRICS Vol. 117 No. 5 May 2006, pp. 1663-1668 (doi:10.1542/peds.2005-1148)
Clinical Value of Autoantibodies Against C1q in Children With Glomerulonephritis
a Department of Pediatrics, 2nd Children's Hospital
d Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Virology, Belarus State University, Minsk, Belarus
b Laboratories of Clinical Immunology
c Immunonephrology, Department of Research
e Internal Medicine B, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland
OBJECTIVE. Autoantibodies against C1q (anti-C1q) have been found in a number of autoimmune and renal diseases. They are best described in adult patients with systemic lupus erythematosus, where a strong correlation between the occurrence of anti-C1q and severe lupus nephritis (LN) has been observed. However, the role of anti-C1q in children with systemic lupus erythematosus has not yet been determined. Furthermore, the clinical importance of anti-C1q in other forms of glomerulonephritis remains to be elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate anti-C1q in children with different forms of glomerulonephritis including LN.
METHODS. We prospectively investigated 112 children with different forms of newly diagnosed glomerulonephritis for the presence of anti-C1q by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and compared them with healthy controls. Associations between anti-C1q and disease manifestations at the time of the measurements and during follow-up were investigated.
RESULTS. Twenty-one of 112 patients were positive for anti-C1q compared with 0 of 40 healthy controls. Anti-C1q was associated with activity in LN and with disease severity in patients with acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis (APSGN). In LN, 7 of 12 patients were found to be anti-C1q positive. Six of these 7 had active disease at the time of the serum sampling compared with 1 of 5 of the anti-C1q-negative children. In children with APSGN, 8 of 24 were positive for anti-C1q. Anti-C1q-positive APSGN patients had significantly higher proteinuria and more often hypertension than those without anti-C1q. All 4 patients in which APSGN did not resolve spontaneously were anti-C1q positive.
CONCLUSIONS. Anti-C1q is associated with active LN in children. In addition, children with anti-C1q-positive APSGN have more severe disease than those who are anti-C1q negative. These data suggest APSGN is another disease in which anti-C1q has a pathogenic role.
Key Words: glomerulonephritis autoantibody complement
Abbreviations: SLEsystemic lupus erythematosus LNlupus nephritis ELISAenzyme-linked immunosorbent assay APSGNacute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis
Accepted Oct 17, 2005.
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