Hepatitis B surface antigen associated nephrotic syndrome.

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) has been reported in association with the nephrotic syndrome from different parts of the world, but its role as a cause of the pathological findings of nephrotic syndrome is still controversial. We report seven nephrotic children with positive hepatitis B markers in which members of their families were also positive for the markers but without clinical, renal or hepatic involvement. Four showed haematuria at onset and three developed hypertension later in the course of the disease. Only two were responsive to steroid therapy. Renal biopsy was performed in four, of whom three showed membranous nephropathy and the other showed mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis. Four patients developed end-stage renal disease. We conclude that in our environment HBV, when detected in children with nephrotic syndrome, should not be considered as a chance finding, but may have a definite role in its pathogenesis. Moreover, the prognosis of HBV-associated nephrotic syndrome appears poor.