IgAN.pt: External Validation of theInternational IgA Nephropathy PredictionTool in a Portuguese Cohort

Authors

  • Beatriz C. Ferreira Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal https://orcid.org/0009-0006-0740-9310
  • Pedro Fragoso Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • Beatriz Fernandes Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • Ana Galvão Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; University Clinic of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • Andreia Borges Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; University Clinic of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • Luís Rodrigues Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; University Clinic of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • Rui Alves Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; University Clinic of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal
  • Helena Sá Nephrology Department at Unidade Local de Saúde Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; University Clinic of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.71749/pkj.116

Keywords:

Glomerulonephritis, IGA, Proteinuria, Renal Insufficiency, Chronic

Abstract

Introduction: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is one of the most common primary glomerulonephritis worldwide, presenting with highly variable clinical manifestations and disease progression. The 10‑year risk of end‑stage kidney disease (ESKD) ranges from 5% to 60%, making risk stratification a major challenge. To address this, the IgAN‑Prediction Tool (IgAN‑PT) was developed and is currently recommended for risk assessment.

Methods: This study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the IgAN-PT in a Portuguese cohort. We conducted a retrospective analysis of all biopsy‑confirmed IgAN cases from January 1998 to December 2018 and assessed the tool’s predictive performance.

Results: In a cohort of 93 Portuguese patients, the IgAN‑PT significantly correlated with 5‑year progression to ESKD or a ≥50% reduction in eGFR (OR 1.06; 95%CI [1.02‑1.1]), demonstrating good discriminative performance (AUC 0.75; 95%CI [0.681‑0.910]). Additionally, baseline proteinuria >1.4 g/24h, eGFR <79 mL/min/1.73m², and an IgAN‑PT score >12.4% provided the best sensitivity‑specificity compromise for predicting the primary outcome. A multivariate model incorporating both IgAN‑PT and the presence of crescents showed improved predictive capacity compared with IgAN‑PT alone (AUC 0.845; 95%CI [0.754‑0.937]).

Conclusion: Our findings validate the use of IgAN‑PT in a Portuguese cohort and suggest that incorporating the presence of crescents enhances its predictive accuracy.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Barbour SJ, Coppo R, Zhang H, Liu ZH, Suzuki Y, Matsuzaki K, et al. Evaluating a New International Risk-Prediction Tool in IgA Nephropathy. JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179:942-52. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.0600. Erratum in: JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179:1007. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2019.2030.

Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) Glomerular Diseases Work Group. KDIGO 2021 Clinical Practice Guideline for the Management of Glomerular Diseases. Kidney Int. 2021;100:51-5276. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2021.05.021.

Coppo R, Troyanov S, Bellur S, Cattran D, Cook HT, Feehally J, et al. Validation of the Oxford classification of IgA nephropathy in cohorts with different presentations and treatments. Kidney Int. 2014;86:828-36. doi: 10.1038/KI.2014.63.

Ramani N, Whittier WL, Korbet SM. IgA Nephropathy with Crescents: A Single-Center Experience. Am J Nephrol. 2022;53:786-93. doi: 10.1159/000529967.

Haas M, Verhave JC, Liu ZH, Alpers CE, Barratt J, Becker JU, Cattran D, Cook HT, Coppo R, Feehally J, Pani A, Perkowska-Ptasińska A, Roberts IS, Soares MF, Trimarchi H, Wang S, Yuzawa Y, Zhang H, Troyanov S, Katafuchi R. A Multicenter Study of the Predictive Value of Crescents in IgA Nephropathy. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 Feb;28(2):691-701. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2016040433. Epub 2016 Sep 9. Erratum in: J Am Soc Nephrol. 2017 May;28(5):1665. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2017020168.

Trimarchi H, Barratt J, Cattran DC, Cook HT, Coppo R, Haas M, et al. Oxford Classification of IgA nephropathy 2016: an update from the IgA Nephropathy Classification Working Group. Kidney Int. 2017 May;91(5):1014-1021. doi: 10.1016/j.kint.2017.02.003.

Zeng CH, Le W, Ni Z, Zhang M, Miao L, Luo P, et al. A multicenter application and evaluation of the oxford classification of IgA nephropathy in adult chinese patients. Am J Kidney Dis. 2012;60:812-20. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2012.06.011.

Lee MJ, Kim SJ, Oh HJ, Ko KJ, Koo HM, Kim CH, et al. Clinical implication of crescentic lesions in immunoglobulin A nephropathy. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2014;29:356-64. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gft398.

Du Y, Chen S, Wang F, Zhang P, Liu M, Liu C, et al. The Significance of Crescents on the Clinical Features and Outcomes of Primary Immunoglobin A Nephropathy. Front Med. 2022;9:864667. doi: 10.3389/fmed.2022.864667.

Zang Z, Fang K, Ma N, Zhang Y, Shu Y, Li Z. Association between different proportions of crescents and adverse renal outcomes in immunoglobulin a nephropathy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ren Fail. 2025;47:2495104. doi: 10.1080/0886022X.2025.2495104.

Downloads

Published

20-12-2025

Data Availability Statement

The data supporting the findings of this study were presented at Encontro Renal 2024 as an oral communication. The dataset has not been previously published. Research data are available from the corresponding author.

Issue

Section

Original Article

How to Cite

IgAN.pt: External Validation of theInternational IgA Nephropathy PredictionTool in a Portuguese Cohort. (2025). Portuguese Kidney Journal, 39(4), 141-149. https://doi.org/10.71749/pkj.116

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1-10 of 55

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.