Effect of Kidney Disease Stage on Pregnancy and Delivery Outcomes among Patients with Immunoglobulin A Nephropathy

Background: Immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) has a peak onset that coincides with the reproductive age. Therefore, many young women who are affected become pregnant. The effects and outcome of pregnancy in women with renal diseases remain controversial, and the characteristics and outcome of pregnancy in IgAN patients must be further evaluated. Methods: A prospective follow-up study of 29 pregnant women with IgAN was performed by analyzing laboratory data, histology and prognosis. To clarify the influence of renal insufficiency, we compared these patients according to the chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage. Results: We found that pregnancy and delivery did not produce any significant changes of the renal function in any of the patients at 3 years after delivery, although the proteinuria was elevated at 30 weeks of pregnancy and at 3 months after delivery. Finally, the data of pregnant women with IgAN were compared with those of 45 nonpregnant women who had similar clinical and demographic characteristics. Conclusion: The pregnant patients with IgAN did not exhibit any significant reduction of renal function at 3 years after delivery as compared with the baseline, which is similar to the findings in nonpregnant patients. Furthermore, pregnancy with stage 2 or 3 CKD was not a risk factor for renal dysfunction or delivery. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel