The founding and early history of the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN).

The founding of the European Society for Paediatric Nephrology (ESPN) in 1967 was the milestone for pediatric nephrology in Europe. Now, at the beginning of the 21st century, more than 2,000 European pediatricians in 46 European countries work in the field of pediatric nephrology, and approximately 500 of these meet regularly at the annual ESPN meetings. Half of these 2,000 pediatricians work in about 200 specialized pediatric nephrology centers in tertiary care units, whereas the other half work in secondary pediatric care, with a special interest in common renal diseases.

Exhaled nitric oxide at school age in prematurely born infants with neonatal chronic lung disease.

Prematurely born infants with neonatal chronic lung disease (CLD) have increased respiratory morbidity and bronchial obstruction at school age. To evaluate the possible inflammatory basis of lung function abnormalities, we studied 40 children, 7.5-9.

Long-term outcome of primary nephrotic syndrome.

One hundred and fourteen children with primary nephrotic syndrome were followed up prospectively for periods of between 5 and 14 years. Urine samples from 94 of them became protein-free during the initial 8-week course of prednisone, and the outcome for these children was good: 74 of them have been free of symptoms for at least 3 years, 18 have had relapses during the last 3 years, and only one child still has proteinuria. All these children have normal renal function and blood pressure.

[Screening for kidney diseases in childhood (author's transl)].

In the light of present knowledge, the routine screening for renal disease in the pediatric age group is not generally indicated. Asymptomatic proteinuria and microscopic hematuria are common but generally harmless, and only in exceptional cases do they indicate a latent progressive renal disease that could be influenced by early treatment. The finding of asymptomatic bacteriuria in the school age is associated with vesicoureteral reflux and pyelonephritic scars in one-third of the cases.

Renal pathology in congenital nephrotic syndrome of Finnish type: a quantitative light microscopic study on 50 patients.

The quantitative histopathological analysis was performed on 68 renal specimens of 50 children with congenital nephrotic syndrome of Finnish type (CNF). Thirty five of samples were biopsies and 33 were taken at autopsy. The kidneys of the CNF children were 2-3 times larger by weight than those of normal children.

Microscopic hematuria in school children: epidemiology and clinicopathologic evaluation.

An unselected population of 8,954 children, age 8 to 15 years, was screened for hematuria. Four urine specimens from each were examined; microscopic hematuria was found in one or more specimens in 4.1%, and in two or more specimens in 1.

Nutrition survey of Finnish rural children. IV. Serum cholesterol values in relation to dietary variables.

In connection with a survey of child nutrition in Finland a study was carried out on the serum cholesterol concentration in childhood and its relationship to dietary and other variables. The material consisted of 1496 children ages 5, 9, and 13 years from 14 local districts in Finland. Total cholesterol was determined from nonfasted venous serum samples by a modification of the p-toluenesulfonic acid reaction.

Association of postmedication hypocortisolism with early first relapse of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

A 2-hour adrenocorticotrophic-hormone (A.C.T.

Congenital chloride diarrhoea. Clinical analysis of 21 Finnish patients.

Clinical findings in 21 Finnish children with congenital chloride diarrhoea are reported. Inheritance of this disease by the autosomal recessive mode is established. All children were born 1-8 weeks prematurely.

Glomerular basement membrane antigens in congenital and acquired nephrotic syndrome in childhood.

Urinary and serum glomerular basement membrane (GBM) antigens were detected by immunodiffusion in patients with nephrotic syndrome and in healthy subjects. The excretion of urinary GBM antigens was greatest in patients with congenital nephrotic syndrome of Finnish type (CNF) and in patients with acquired, therapy-resistant nephrotic syndrome who had a variety of histologically identified glomerular lesions. One GBM antigen, indistinguishable from the urinary one, was also detected in the serum of four of these patients.