The Clinical and Pathological Effects of Serum C3 Level and Mesangial C3 Intensity in Patients with IgA Nephropathy.

Patients with strong mesangial C3 deposition and elevated lipid levels had more severe tubule atrophy and/or interstitial fibrosis, as well as more severe pathological lesions, suggesting that activation of the complement system is involved in the pathogenesis of IgA nephropathy and increases the metabolic burden of the kidney.