SERUM COMPLEMENT IN ACUTE GLOMERULONEPHRITIS AND THE NEPHROTIC SYNDROME

[摘要] The literature on glomerulonephritis as an antigen-antibody reaction has been briefly reviewed. This reaction is complement-binding. A method to determine complement titres has been described and a unit of complement defined. The value for complement in 52 control children ranged between 0.84 and 3.0 units with an average of 1.68 units; only one child showed a value below 1.0 units.The complement titre in five cases of acute glomerulonephritis in children ranged between 0.08 and 1.0 units with an average of 0.43 units. Similar values were found in eight adult cases.The complement titre in nine cases of nephrosis in children ranged between 0.09 and 1.0 unit with an average of 0.57 units. No immunologic differences were observed between the nephrotic syndrome in glomerulonephritis and so-called pure nephrosis as far as complement was concerned.Complement levels return to normal approximately one week after the subsidence of clinical and laboratory signs of activity of glomerulonephritis.Diuresis, whether spontaneous or induced by ACTH therapy, is accompanied by a return of complement to normal values in spite of persistence of the same degree of proteinuria, hypoproteinemia and hypercholesterolemia.

[学科分类] 儿科学