Incidence of Glomerulonephritis and Clinical Outcomes of Kidney Biopsy Patients at the National and Transplant Kidney Institute, 2016-2022

Background: Glomerulonephritis remains a predominant cause of end stage kidney disease and is potentially reversible but entails a kidney biopsy for definitive diagnosis, management decisions and prognostication. There is limited data on incidence of glomerular diseases in the Philippines, and a national kidney biopsy registry is lacking for the years 2016 and onwards. Methods: A total of 2249 patients who had native kidney biopsy at NKTI from 2016-2022 were identified and a retrospective review of their chart records, laboratory results and kidney biopsy findings was done, with a follow up for at least 12 months. Results: The median age for kidney biopsy was 34 years with a higher female prevalence (56.16%). Primary glomerulonephritis comprised 74.17% of cases and secondary GN for 23.5%. IgA nephropathy at 45.86% and FSGS at 19.78 were the most common for primary GN. For secondary GN, Lupus nephritis was the most prevalent at 56.7%. IgAN had the highest incidence of complete and partial remission. Progression to ESRD requiring dialysis was almost similar for IgAN and FSGS. Conclusion: IgA nephropathy is still the most prevalent type of primary glomerulonephritis in this single center study, while Lupus nephritis is the most common secondary GN. A significant overall improvement in kidney function and proteinuria was noted on follow up.