Background: Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are common in end-stage kidney disease. Mounting evidence indicates that the intestine plays an important role in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, no studies have addressed the obvious question; do IgAN patients suffer from GI symptoms?
Methods: Presence of GI symptoms and health-related quality of life were evaluated using the validated Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) and Psychological General Well-Being (PGWB) questionnaires in 104 patients with kidney biopsy-verified IgAN and in 147 healthy controls.
Background: Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infected patients typically suffer from acute kidney injury (AKI). Adipokines have inflammation modulating functions in acute diseases including AKI. We examined plasma levels of three adipokines (resistin, leptin, and adiponectin) in acute PUUV infection and their associations with disease severity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF: Coagulation abnormalities are associated with Puumala-virus-induced hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (PUUV-HFRS). We evaluated the coagulation capacity of plasma during acute PUUV-HFRS by measuring thrombin generation using calibrated automated thrombography (CAT). The study cohort comprised 27 prospectively collected, consecutive, hospital-treated patients with acute PUUV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) causes haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome characterized by thrombocytopenia, capillary leakage and acute kidney injury (AKI) with proteinuria and haematuria. Although the typical histologic lesion is acute tubulointerstitial nephritis, the amount of glomerular proteinuria predicts the severity of upcoming AKI. Here, we studied the associations of haematuria and proteinuria with the severity of emerging AKI, thrombocytopenia and markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis in PUUV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Puumala virus (PUUV)-induced hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome is common in many European countries. The typical renal histologic lesion is acute tubulointerstitial nephritis. We examined the type and kinetics of urine protein excretion and prognostic significance of proteinuria for the severity of acute kidney injury (AKI) in acute PUUV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia in Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infection is probably multifactorial. We aimed to evaluate the possible spleen enlargement during acute PUUV infection, and to determine its association with thrombocytopenia and disease severity. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the spleen was performed in 20 patients with acute PUUV infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThrombocytopenia and altered coagulation characterize all hantavirus infections. To further assess the newly discovered predictive biomarkers of disease severity during acute Puumala virus (PUUV) infection, we studied the associations between them and the variables reflecting coagulation, fibrinolysis and endothelial activation. Nineteen hospital-treated patients with serologically confirmed acute PUUV infection were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Hantaviruses are an important group of emerging zoonotic pathogens, with significant mortality rates. Immunopathology is thought to be important in hantaviral disease, but the balance between protective and harmful responses is unknown. We studied Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infection, which causes hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) with a generally mild but highly variable clinical course.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNephropathia epidemica (NE) is a hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by Puumala hantavirus. The severity of NE varies greatly. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether serum indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO) activity is associated with the severity of NE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: We have found greater urinary protein excretion and higher glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and blood pressure in patients 6 years after acute nephropathia epidemica (NE) compared with seronegative controls. The present aim was to establish whether the long-term outcome is determined by the severity of acute illness.
Methods: Serial plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), creatinine, C-reactive protein, blood cell count as well as 24-hour urinary protein and overnight α(1)-microglobulin and albumin excretions were measured in 37 patients with acute NE.
Background: Nephropathia epidemica (NE) is a Scandinavian type of hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome caused by Puumala hantavirus. The clinical course of the disease varies greatly in severity. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 levels associate with the severity of NE.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aims: We previously found increased urinary protein excretion, glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and blood pressure in a retrospective analysis of patients with previous nephropathia epidemica (NE). Here, we evaluated the long-term outcome after NE in a prospectively recruited patient group.
Methods: Proteinuria, GFR and ambulatory 24-hour blood pressure were assessed 4-7 years (mean 6) after acute NE in 37 patients, and these values were compared to those from 38 seronegative controls.