Leena Ong-ajyooth

Lupus Nephritis in Thailand: Clinicopathologic findings and outcome in 569 patients

The prognosis of lupus nephritis patients in Thailand has been reported to be poorer than that in Western countries since 1978. After a great evolution in management, we re-evaluate the long-term outcome in patients who were treated and followed up at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok from 1984 to 1991. Clinical and pathologic records were collected from 569 patients (515 females and 54 men) who were followed up for a mean period of 38.7 +/- 34.6 months. The mean age was 28 +/- 10 years and the median duration of symptoms prior to admission was 7 months. Hypertension was diagnosed in 32.4% of patients and 41.3% had serum creatinine greater than 1.5 mg/dL. Nephrotic-range proteinuria was found in 43.6% of patients and creatinine clearance less than 50 mL/min was found in 58.0%. Of the 314 patients who underwent renal biopsy, the most common histologic finding was diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis (61.5%). The overall probability of survival was 76.5% at 60 and 90 months after diagnosis. Initial presence of hypertension, renal insufficiency (creatinine clearance < 25 mL/min), and World Health Organization histology class IV and III in the biopsied patients were the three independent factors significantly associated with lower survival probability. Neither gender nor amount of proteinuria was the predictive factor for poor outcome. During the follow-up period, 89 patients died and two patients entered a chronic dialysis program. The two leading causes of death were infection (50.5%) and uremia (28.6%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Prevalence of chronic kidney disease in Thai adults: a national health survey

BackgroundThe prevalence of patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) who need dialysis and/or transplantation has more than doubled in Thailand during the past two decades. It has been suggested that therapeutic strategies to reduce the risk of ESRD and other complications in CKD are now available, thus the early recognition and the institution of proven therapeutic strategies are important and beneficial. We, therefore, aimed to determine the prevalence of CKD in Thai adults from the National Health Examination Survey of 2004.MethodsData from a nationally representative sample of 3,117 individuals aged 15 years and older was collected using questionnaires, physical examination and blood samples. Serum creatinine was measured by Jaffé method. GFR was estimated using the Chinese modified Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study equation. Chronic kidney Disease (CKD) stages were classified based on Kidney Disease Outcome Quality Initiative (K/DOQI).ResultsThe prevalence of CKD in Thai adults weighted to the 2004 Thai population by stage was 8.1% for stage 3, 0.2% and 0.15% for stage 4 and 5 respectively. Compared to non-CKD, individuals with CKD were older, had a higher level of cholesterol, and higher blood pressure. Those with cardiovascular risk factors were more likely to have CKD (stage 3-5) than those without, including hypertension (OR 1.6, 95%CI 1.1, 3.4), diabetes (OR 1.87, 95%CI 1.0, 3.4). CKD was more common in northeast (OR 2.1, 95%CI 1.3, 3.3) compared to central region. Urinalysis was not performed, therefore, we could not have data on CKD stage 1 and 2. We have no specific GFR formula for Thai population.ConclusionThe identification of CKD patients should be evaluated and monitored for appropriate intervention for progression to kidney disease from this screening.

Renal Function in Adult Beta-Thalassemia/Hb E Disease

β-Thalassemia hemoglobin E (β-thal/Hb E) is the commonest form of hemoglobinopathy in Thailand. Shortened red cell life span, rapid iron turnover and tissue deposition of excess iron are major factors responsible for functional and physiological abnormalities found in various forms of thalassemia. Increased deposition of iron had been found in renal parenchyma of thalassemic patients, but no systematic study of the effect of the deposits on renal functions has been available. The purpose of this study is to describe the functional abnormalities of the kidney in patients with β-thal/Hb E and provide evidence that increased oxidative stress might be one of the factors responsible for the damage. Urine and serum samples from 95 patients with β-thal/Hb E were studied comparing with 27 age-matched healthy controls. No difference in the creatinine clearance was observed. β-thal/Hb E patients excreted significantly more urinary protein (0.8 ± 0.5 vs. 0.3±0.1 g/day, p < 0.001). Aminoaciduria was found in 16% of the patients. Analysis of urinary protein by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and silver staining revealed abnormal pattern of protein with increased small molecular weight (<45 kD) bands. Morning urine analysis showed significant lower urine osmolality (578.3 ± 164.6 vs. 762.4 ± 169.9 mosm/kg, p < 0.001) in patients. Patients excreted more NAG (N-acetyl beta-D-glucosaminidase, 26.3 ± 41.3 vs. 8.4 ± 3.9 U/g Cr, p < 0.0001) and β2-microglobulin, 124.3 ± 167 vs. 71 ± 65.5 µg/g Cr, p = 0.001. Plasma and urine MDA (malonyldialdehyde) levels were both raised (p < 0.0001). Nine patients were selected for renal acidification study. All were found to be normal, but showed poor response to DDAVP challenge (urine osmolality 533 ± 71). This is the first report of renal tubular defects found associated with β-thal/Hb E disease. The mechanism leading to the damage is not known but it might be related to increased oxidative stress secondary to tissue deposition of iron, as indicated by the raised levels of serum and urine MDA. It is not known whether these functional defects would have any long-term effects on the patients. Further studies are warranted and means of prevention of these defects should urgently be sought.

High prevalence of hepatitis G viremia among kidney transplant patients in Thailand

Patients receiving kidney transplants (KT) are at high risk for blood borne viral infections. To determine the prevalence of a recently discovered hepatitis G virus (HGV) in this patient group, reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) employing primers derived from the NS5 region of the viral genome was utilized. HGV RNA was detected in 40 of 94 KT patients (43%), as compared to 3 of 69 healthy subjects (4.3%). Cocirculation of HGV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA was detected in 12 patients (13%). Comparison of patients with and without HGV revealed that the former had received hemodialysis before transplantation for a significantly longer duration than the latter (28 vs. 17 months, respectively; P < 0.05). The amount of blood transfused and mean levels of liver enzymes, including alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase, and aspartate transaminase, were the same in both groups. Sequence analysis of 275‐base pair DNA clones obtained from 2 patients revealed approximately 92% sequence homology to the published HGV and GB virus C sequences. These results suggested that HGV infection among Thai KT patients was high and the role of HGV in causing liver disease remains to be determined. J. Med. Virol. 53:162–166, 1997.

Urinary Citrate Excretion as a Screening Test for Distal Renal-Tubular Acidosis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of using urinary citrate for the screening of potential cases of distal renaltubular acidosis in a population in the northeast of Thailand, an area reported to have a high prevalence of the condition (1). Urinary citrate was assayed by the citrate lyase enzymatic assay (2).