Clinicopathologic features and long-term prognosis of hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis: a retrospective cohort study

Background Hepatitis B virus-associated glomerulonephritis is a common form of secondary glomerulonephritis in China. However, the clinicopathological features and long-term prognosis of Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis remain only partially known. Methods Biopsy-proven Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis patients were enrolled between November 1994 and December 2013 at our center. The composite endpoints were doubling serum creatinine, end-stage renal disease, or death from renal disease during follow-up. The clinicopathological features and predictors of the long-term prognosis of Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis patients were explored. Results The median age of the 259 Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis patients was 31.0 years (IQR 24.0-40.0), and 71.0% were males. Among the patients, 45.2% presented with nephrotic syndrome, and 45.9% presented with proteinuria combined with hematuria. The two most prevalent pathological patterns were IgA nephropathy ( 27.0%) and membranous nephropathy (27.0%). The mean follow-up period was 68.8 +/- 46.9 months. The 3-, 5-, and 10-year clinical event-free survival rates were 93.4%, 85.2%, and 70.3%, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression analysis showed that hypertension (HR 2.580, 95% CI 1.351-4.927, P = 0.004), hyperuricemia (HR 2.101, 95% CI 1.116-3.954, P = 0.021), glomerulosclerosis (P = 0.001), and intrarenal arterial lesions (P = 0.041) were independent predictors of composite clinical event endpoint. Patients in the antiviral therapy group exhibited a significantly better prognosis compared to those who received no antiviral therapy (log-rank.2 = 5.772, P = 0.016). Conclusion Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis has specific clinicopathologic features and should not be considered a benign disease in adults. Hypertension, hyperuricemia, glomerulosclerosis, and intrarenal arterial lesions were independent predictors of the long-term prognosis in Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis patients. Antiviral therapy could be effective in improving the long-term prognosis of Hepatitis B virus-associated Glomerulonephritis patients.