[What is the role of autoimmune processes in nephropathies?].

Classical autoimmune nephropathies rarely occur during childhood. They include the glomerulonephritis and tubulointerstitial nephritis caused by antibasement membrane antibodies and the systemic lupus erythematosus. The autoimmune pathogenesis of glomerulopathies such as minimal change disease and different forms of tubulointerstitial nephritis which are more frequent in children is not proven yet. The possible mechanisms of autoimmune disorders affecting the kidneys are 1. the genetic predisposition, 2. a defect in the immune system, 3. exogenous agents leading to cross-reactivity or polyclonal B cell stimulation, and 4. endogenous agents leading to immunogenic autoantigens. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the autoimmune pathogenesis of nephropathies derived from investigations in humans and animal experiments.