[Clinical significance of IgM deposition in the mesangium and mesangial hypercellularity in adult minimal change nephrotic syndrome].

Minimal change nephrotic syndrome(MCNS) typically shows no abnormalities in light microscopy. However, there are some minor light microscopic abnormalities that are considered to be MCNS variants. In pediatric nephrology, some researchers have reported that IgM deposition in the mesangium and mesangial hypercellularity are related to the response to steroid therapy and the long-term course. However, it is not clear whether IgM deposition in the mesangium and mesangial hypercellularity is responsible for the clinical course or the steroid response of patients with adult MCNS. To investigate the clinical importance of IgM deposition in the mesangium and mesangial hypercellularity, clinical records, follow up data, and renal samples of 47 patients with MCNS were reviewed. We also compared the histological data with those of a normal control group (n = 5). In our study, the presence of mesangial IgM deposition did not predict the patient's clinical course or responsiveness to steroid therapy. Increase in the number of nuclei in the glomeruli and PAS-positive area also did not correlate with the clinical course or responsiveness to steroid therapy. The data suggest that mesangial IgM deposits and increased mesangial cellularity in adult MCNS may not predict the clinical course or steroid response. However, we investigated only 47 samples in this study, therefore, further studies are necessary to identify the importance of IgM deposition in the mesangium and mesangial hypercellularity in adult MCNS.