Renal biopsy in the elderly: clinicopathological correlations in 143 patients.

The clinical presentation and spectrum of renal histopathology is described in 143 patients aged 60 years or more, with renal disease. In 82 patients renal biopsy revealed primary renal disease. In the remainder, changes associated with systemic conditions were found. These included amyloidosis, polyarteritis nodosa and hypertension. Fifty patients present with the nephrotic syndrome, one third of whom had a membranous glomerulonephritis on the renal biopsy. Three patients had a carcinoma associated with this renal histology. Two patients had a minimal change lesion and their nephrotic syndrome responded to corticosteroids. Renal biopsies from the 45 patients present with renal failure revealed a variety of histopathology which included idiopathic crescentic nephritis and antiglomerular basement membrane disease. Percutaneous renal biopsy is a valuable diagnostic aid in elderly patients with renal disease.