Kidney glomerular pathology in various forms of acute and chronic hepatitis.

Kidney tissue from 99 unselected necropsy cases of various forms of hepatitis and liver cirrhosis was examined by histology and direct immunofluorescence. Glomerular deposits of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), IgG, IgM, and complement were found in nine of 59 cases (15%) of acute and subacute hepatitis and in seven of 40 cases (17%) of chronic aggressive hepatitis and liver cirrhosis. Different amounts of granular hepatitis B surface antigen immune deposits were distributed along glomerular capillary walls and/or in mesangial areas. Glomerular lesions found in these cases consisted of thickening of glomerular capillary walls, a slight increase in glomerular cellularity, and an increase of mesangial matrix. These glomerular lesions are considered to result from the humoral immune elimination of circulating viral surface antigen immune complexes.