An evaluation of the roles of hematuria and uric acid in defining the prognosis of patients with IgA nephropathy

In recent years, many significant advances have been made in determining which clinical manifestations and pathologic lesions can provide prognostic information for patients with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). However, some important questions remain, including the long-term consequences of hematuria, both macroscopic (MH) and microscopic (mH), in patients with IgAN. The importance of distinguishing patients who have a single episode of MH of long duration from those with recurrent episodes of short duration and the prognostic importance of the episodes of acute kidney injury (AKI) that sometimes accompany episodic MH will be discussed. Studies that have evaluated the mechanisms that may be responsible for recurrent MH and the toxic effects of red blood cells (RBCs), or their constituents, on kidney tubules will also be addressed. In the last section, I will review the evidence that hyperuricemia (HU) may be a significant independent risk factor for progressive kidney disease in patients with IgAN.