A cross-sectional analysis of clinicopathologic similarities and differences between Henoch-Schönlein purpura nephritis and IgA nephropathy.

Although assessing both-Gd-IgA1 alone was insufficient to distinguish between HSPN and IgAN, patients with HSPN showed considerable glomerular capillaritis with subendothelial IgA deposition and significant elevation of serum inflammatory cytokines. Furthermore, such glomerular subendothelial IgA deposition might not contain Gd-IgA1, and factors associated with Gd-IgA1 were inconsistent among these 2 diseases. Thus, developmental mechanisms for IgAN might not apply to HSPN completely, and these 2 diseases still have different aspects.