Prevalence of renal involvement in Schistosoma japonicum infection.

244 outpatients and 100 hospitalized patients with confirmed Schistosoma japonicum infection were prospectively surveyed for the presence of nephropathy. There was no association between schistosomiasis and renal disease in the outpatient group. Three hospitalized patients had evidence of significant nephropathy, but this number was not significantly higher than in a control group of 100 hospitalized age and sex-matched control patients without schistosomiasis. One schistosomiasis patient with severe nephrotic syndrome underwent percutaneous renal biopsy. Neither S. japonicum antigen nor antibody was found in the biopsy specimen. 64 of the 100 hospitalized patients had portal hypertension; in 28 patients there was hepatic decompensation. Only one of these hepatosplenic patients had evidence of renal disease. Thus renal involvement was uncommon in patients presenting various manifestations of chronic S. japonicum infection, including those with severe hepatosplenic disease. These results contrast markedly with S. mansoni infection, in which nephropathy associated with advanced liver disease is a distinct, well-recognized clinical entity.