Table 3.
Clinical characteristics of infections in patients with PNS.
| Variables | Mild infection (n = 45) | Moderate infection (n = 60) | Severe infection (n = 33) | Total (n = 138) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (female:male) | 18:27 | 24:36 | 9:24 | 51:87 | 0.748 |
| Age (years) | 55.0 ± 15.3 | 60.5 ± 14.8 | 63.0 ± 14.2 | 59.3 ± 14.8 | 0.364 |
| PNS duration (months) | 9.7 ± 15.3 | 10.5 ± 18.7 | 11.2 ± 12.7 | 10.4 ± 16.4 | 0.347 |
| Cumulative dose of prednisone (g) | 1.5 ± 3.5 | 2.9 ± 4.3 | 7.1 ± 6.1 | 3.5 ± 5.0 | 0.013* |
| aImmunosuppressant therapy (%) | 6 (13.3) | 21 (35.0) | 21 (63.6) | 48 (34.7) | 0.029* |
| Histological subtype | 0.443 | ||||
| MN | 23 (51.1) | 29 (48.3) | 13 (39.3) | 65 (47.1) | |
| MCD | 14 (31.1) | 22 (36.6) | 11 (33.3) | 47 (34.0) | |
| IgA nephropathy | 6 (13.3) | 3 (5.0) | 5 (15.1) | 14 (10.1) | |
| FSGS | 2 (4.4) | 6 (10.0) | 3 (9.0) | 11 (7.9) | |
| MPGN | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1 (3.0) | 1 (0.7) | |
| 24-h urine protein (g/day) | 6.4 ± 2.9 | 6.8 ± 6.6 | 3.6 ± 3.6 | 5.9 ± 5.1 | 0.225 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 19.1 ± 3.7 | 19.3 ± 5.7 | 23.6 ± 6.6 | 20.3 ± 5.6 | 0.076 |
| Scr (µmol/L) | 135.0 ± 41.6 | 165.4 ± 131.5 | 166.2 ± 152.3 | 142.1 ± 138.4 | 0.292 |
| IgG (g/L) | 7.7 ± 3.6 | 5.9 ± 2.4 | 8.4 ± 5.2 | 7.1 ± 3.7 | 0.155 |
| Cholesterol (mmol/L) | 8.1 ± 2.6 | 7.4 ± 3.1 | 5.2 ± 1.5 | 7.1 ± 3.0 | 0.023* |
| CD4 + cell count (cells/mm3) | 533.4 ± 204.5 | 411.4 ± 200.7 | 296.7 ± 185.7 | 436.6 ± 213.6 | 0.017* |
| bComplications | 3 (6.6) | 18 (30.0) | 9 (27.2) | 30 (21.7) | 0.223 |
| cProphylactic treatments | 5 (11.1) | 9 (15.0) | 5 (15.1) | 19 (13.7) | 0.820 |
| Mortality (%) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 6 (18.1) | 6 (4.3) | <0.001* |
PNS: primary nephrotic syndrome; MN: membranous nephropathy;
MCD: minimal change disease; FSGS: focal segmental glomerulosclerosis; MPGN: mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis; Scr: serum creatinine;
IgG: immunoglobulin G.
a
Including cyclophosphamide, mycophenolate mofetil, cyclosporine A, tacrolimus, and azathioprine.
b
Including diabetes mellitus, chronic pulmonary disease (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), and bronchiectasis.
c
Including sulfamethoxazole and other antibiotics.
Data are shown as mean ± SD (standard deviation) or percentages.
*
p < 0.05.