Tips

What is foot process effacement?

What is foot process effacement?

In glomerular diseases, podocytes lose the usual interdigitating pattern of foot processes between neighboring podocytes, and this alteration, known as “foot process effacement,” is regarded as a pathologic indicator of podocyte injury.

What are foot processes?

The foot processes known as pedicels that extend from the podocytes wrap themselves around the capillaries of the glomerulus to form the filtration slits. The pedicels increase the surface area of the cells enabling efficient ultrafiltration. Podocytes secrete and maintain the basement membrane.

Which pathophysiologic process is associated with minimal change nephropathy in a child?

Interleukin-13 (IL-13) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of MCD. In a study on Chinese children in Singapore, it was shown that IL-13 genetic polymorphisms correlate with the long-term outcome of MCD.

What causes Podocytopathy?

Viral infections are common causes of podocytopathies, especially with a lesion pattern of collapsing glomerulopathy101. HIV infection can cause a characteristic podocytopathy with nephrotic syndrome and rapid disease progression.

What does podocytes mean?

Podocytes are highly specialized cells of the kidney glomerulus that wrap around capillaries and that neighbor cells of the Bowman’s capsule. The genetic or acquired impairment of podocytes may lead to foot process effacement (podocyte fusion or retraction), a morphological hallmark of proteinuric renal diseases.

What podocytes are and their function?

Podocytes play an important role in glomerular function. Together with endothelial cells of the glomerular capillary loop and the glomerular basement membrane they form a filtration barrier. Podocytes cooperate with mesangial cells to support the structure and function of the glomerulus.

What does a podocyte do?

What is the difference between minimal change disease and nephrotic syndrome?

Minimal change disease is a kidney disorder that can lead to nephrotic syndrome. Nephrotic syndrome is a group of symptoms that include protein in the urine, low blood protein levels in the blood, high cholesterol levels, high triglyceride levels, and swelling.

What are the function of podocytes?

What is lupus Podocytopathy?

This pattern, termed lupus podocytopathy, is a unique form of lupus nephritis that mimics minimal change disease or primary focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and represents approximately 1% of lupus nephritis biopsies.

What kind of disease has diffuse foot process effacement?

Foot process effacement is present in glomerular diseases that present with proteinuria, especially minimal change disease (MCD) – where diffuse foot process effacement is the only morphologic alteration noticed (D’Agati, 2003; van den Berg et al, 2004; Patalunan et al, 1997).

How is podocyte foot process effacement a diagnostic tool?

Podocyte foot process effacement as a diagnostic tool in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis. Podocyte foot process effacement is characteristic of proteinuric renal diseases. In minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) foot processes are diffusely effaced whereas the extent of effacement varies in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS).

Is there a correlation between foot process effacement and MN?

Foot process effacement is also invariably present in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) and membranous nephropathy (MN). Few studies approached the quantitative analysis of foot process effacement. It has been suggested that the degree of foot process effacement would depend on the underlying glomerular disease (Song et al, 2010).

How are foot processes effaced in minimal change nephrotic syndrome?

In minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) foot processes are diffusely effaced whereas the extent of effacement varies in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). Here we measured foot process effacement in FSGS and compared it to that in MCNS and in normal kidneys.

Share this post