Subclinical nephritis in South Trinidad

ABSTRACT

Incidental urines from 2019 members of the family households of 369 patients hospitalized wih acute glomerulonephritis, 1605 residents of a village, and 1299 school-children were tested with Hema-Combistix. (In this report, the family of a patient is termed a nephritis family.) Hematuria was more frequent in nephritis family members under 10 years old than in similiar control subjects. Proteinuria was more frequent in nephritis family members aged 10 to 30 and 40 to 60 years than in similiar village residents. The control school-children (tested at school) had proteinuria more frequently than did nephritis family children (tested at home). Urine abnormalities were found in 219 of the nephritis family members. Subtracting similiar urine abnormalities found in the control groups from those of the nephritis family members leaves 98 of these abnormalities presumably attributed to family asociation with currently hospitalized cases of acute nephritis. Serum á-1-C gloulin was decreased in 16 of the nephritis family members with urine abnormalities and in only one of 207 subjects from the control groups. Decreased serum á-1-C globulin was associated with mild stigmata of acute glomerulonephritis in the nephritis family members (AU)