The importance of homocystein and antifospholipide antibodies in determining the risk of renal involvement in IgA vasculitis

AIM: IgA vasculitis is the most common vasculitis in children and is a multisystem disease affecting the skin, joints, gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. Nephritis, which determines the prognosis, develops in 30-50% of children with IgA vasculitis. It was aimed to evaluate the importance of homocysteine and antiphospholipid antibodies as well as demographic data, clinical and laboratory findings in determining the risk of kidney involvement in children followed up with the diagnosis of IgA vasculitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Patients diagnosed with IgA vasculitis in the Pediatric Rheumatology Clinic of Fırat University Faculty of Medicine were followed up and evaluated prospectively. The clinical and laboratory findings of children with IgA vasculitis who could be followed up for at least 6 months were evaluated. RESULTS: The mean age of 40 patients diagnosed with IgA vasculitis was 8,9±3,3 years. Male gender and age were found to be associated with kidney involvement. In addition, high neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio and high serum osmolarity were found to be risk factors for renal involvement. Moreover, it was determined that high homocysteine level and low vitamin B12 level were the parameters to be followed in terms of kidney involvement. CONCLUSION: In addition to demographic and clinical findings, more specific biomarkers are needed to predict renal involvement that determines the prognosis in IgA vasculitis. Keywords: IgA vasculitis, renal involvement, homocystein, antiphospholipit antibodies