Pregnancy and progression of IgA nephropathy: results of an Italian multicenter study

BACKGROUND:

Whether pregnancy impacts on the long-term outcome of immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy is unknown. This study aims to compare the long-term outcome of kidney disease in women with IgA nephropathy and preserved kidney function who did and did not become pregnant.
STUDY DESIGN:

Multicenter longitudinal cohort study.
SETTING & PARTICIPANTS:

Women of childbearing age with biopsy-proven IgA nephropathy, serum creatinine levelPREDICTORS:

Pregnancy, treated as a time-dependent variable; baseline proteinuria; hypertension; and kidney biopsy histologic characteristics.
OUTCOME & MEASURES:

Rate of change in estimated creatinine clearance, change in proteinuria, and new-onset hypertension.
RESULTS:

245 patients were enrolled. Of these, 223 women (136 and 87 in the pregnancy and nonpregnancy groups, respectively) had serum creatinine levelsLIMITATIONS:

Unrecognized or unmeasured factors associated with the decision of becoming pregnant might have influenced results.
CONCLUSIONS:

Pregnancy does not seem to affect the long-term outcome of kidney disease in women with IgA nephropathy and preserved kidney function.