Abstract / Summary
Introduction: Kidney biopsy plays a central role in the etiological diagnosis and management of kidney diseases. The Brazilian Registry of Kidney Biopsies (BRKB) was established by the Brazilian Society of Nephrology to characterize biopsy-proven kidney diseases nationwide. The aim of this manuscript is to present the BRKB data for 2022.
Methods: We analyzed data from adult patients who underwent native kidney biopsy and were prospectively included in the BRKB between January and December 2022. Demographic, clinical, laboratory, and histopathological variables were evaluated.
Results: A total of 1,142 kidney biopsies from centers across all Brazilian regions were included. Female patients accounted for 54.8% of cases, and the mean age was 44.8 ± 16.4 years. The main indications for biopsy were kidney dysfunction (51.8%) and nephrotic syndrome (39.4%). Hypertension and diabetes mellitus were present in 47.8% and 15.1% of patients, respectively. At the time of biopsy, 67.1% had an estimated glomerular filtration rate < 60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Glomerular diseases were the most frequent histological diagnoses (72.5%), with lupus nephritis (23.1%), IgA nephropathy (15.0%), and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (11.2%) being the most common.
Conclusion: The 2022 BRKB data provide a contemporary overview of biopsy-proven kidney diseases in Brazil and highlight the predominance of glomerular disorders. Among diabetic patients undergoing biopsy, only half showed histological evidence of diabetic nephropathy, emphasizing the value of kidney biopsy in selected cases.