Prevalence and Pattern of Glomerulonephritis: An Experience of Two Tertiary Centers in Malaysia.

The prevalence of glomerulonephritis (GN), especially membranous GN (MGN), changes from time to time. This change may be due to genetic predisposition, environmental factors race, age, and indications for a renal biopsy. This study was conducted to evaluate the distribution and changing patterns of GN by further assessing the prevalence of MGN.

Role of Serum and Urine Biomarkers (PLAR and THSD7A) in Diagnosis, Monitoring and Prognostication of Primary Membranous Glomerulonephritis.

Differentiating primary and secondary membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) using biomarkers for MGN is essential in patients' diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. Although biopsy has been the primary tool in making the diagnosis, not all patients can withstand it due to its invasive nature, and it cannot be used to monitor treatment. Hence, there is the need for less invasive or even non-invasive biomarkers for effective diagnosis, treatment monitoring and prognostication.

Primary Membranous Glomerulonephritis: The Role of Serum and Urine Biomarkers in Patient Management.

The detection of phospholipase A2 receptor (PLAR) and thrombospondin domain containing 7A THSD7A among primary membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) patients transformed the diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and prognosis. Anti-PLAR can be detected in 70-90% of primary MGN patients while anti-THSD7A in 2-3% of anti-PLAR negative primary MGN patients depending on the technique used. Serum and urine samples are less invasive and non-invasive, respectively, and thus can detect the presence of anti-PLAR and anti-THSD7A with higher sensitivity and specificity, which is significant in patient monitoring and prognosis.