Serum and glomerular complement in 205 cases of glomerulonephritis.

In 205 cases of GN the glomerular deposits of C3, C1q, C4, and C3A and the serum levels of the same complement components at the time of biopsy were studied. Alterations of serum complement profile were found only in acute GN, membranoproliferative GN and lupus nephritis, while glomerular deposition was observed with a different incidence and intensity in all nephropathies. A strict correlation between the intensity of deposits and the degree of hypocomplementaemia was found only in early acute GN and in active lupus nephritis.

Drug induced hypersensitivity nephritis.

Drug-induced hypersensitivity nephritis may show several histological and clinical patterns. In most of these microscopic vascular involvement of the kidney seems to be very frequent. On immunofluorescence, deposits of C3 in mesangium and in arterioles were observed in almost all cases, independently of histological features on light microscopy.

Complement deposition in glomerular diseases.

Biopsies from 400 patients affected by glomerular diseases, both "primary" and secondary to systemic diseases, have been studied by immunofluorescence. Staining was performed for immunoglobulins fibrogen and C1q, C4, C3 and C3A. C1q, C4 and C3 were positive in a high percentage of cases in focal glomerulosclerosis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis, lupus nephritis and essential cryoglobulinaemia glomerulonephritis.