Current estimates of the incidence of steroid responsive idiopathic nephrosis in Kentucky children 1-9 years of age.

A review of the medical literature relating to childhood nephrosis revealed no surveys conducted since 1968 which either substantiated or refuted the range in incidence rates reported in earlier studies. Those rates ranged from 1.3 to 2.5 new cases per year among 100,000 white and non-white children under 10 years of age. The present report documents the incidence of steroid responsive idiopathic nephrosis in the eastern part of Kentucky during the years 1970 through 1979. The overall rate of 1.8 new cases per year was similar to that described in previous reports. A suggestion of an increased rural vs urban incidence was noted.