DECODING GLOMERULONEPHRITIS: BASELINE PROFILES AND INSIGHTS FROM THE I-TANGIBLE REGISTRY

Introduction:

Glomerular disease accounts for one-sixth of chronic kidney disease (CKD) cases worldwide. Large cohort studies play a vital role in understanding the natural history and clinical outcomes of patients with glomerular diseases. ITANGIBLE is the first registry of well-characterized patients with primary glomerular disease from a resource-limited setting, designed to create a supportive network for clinical and translational studies. 

Methods:

This I-TANGIBLE registry has been funded by ICMR and established as a collaboration between 13 large academic centres in India. Adult patients with biopsy-proven diagnosis of minimal change disease (MCD), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), C3 glomerulopathy, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN), membranous nephropathy (MN), Post-infectious glomerulonephritis (PIGN) or IgA nephropathy are enrolled. Data are entered real-time into a bespoke database. Sociodemographic and clinical details, including proteinuria, serum creatinine, and serum albumin, is collected at baseline and follow-up, along with treatment details and outcomes. Consent for collecting biological samples at regular intervals and willingness to be contacted to participate in future clinical trials were also obtained.

Results:

A total of 2137 subjects were enrolled in the study from July 2022 and June 2024 (Table 1). The mean age of the patients was 37.81±13.49 (18,80) years. The median proteinuria, serum albumin, and serum creatinine were   2.9 (1.19,5.7) g/day, 2.80 (2.1,3.7) g/dL, 1.1 (0.8,2) mg/dL, respectively. Patients with MN had higher proteinuria than those with other glomerular diseases. Patients with IgA nephropathy, PIGN and MPGN/C3 glomerulopathy had lower eGFR compared to those with other glomerular diseases. There were no differences in sociodemographic characteristics among the groups. 

Conclusions:

We have demonstrated the feasibility of establishing a multicentric collaborative registry on glomerular disease in resource-limited settings. This registry contributes to the global literature on GN by documenting the natural history, treatment response and outcomes of GN in a hitherto under-represented population. Finally, this cohort study provides an excellent platform for future research and clinical trials. 

I have no potential conflict of interest to disclose.

I did not use generative AI and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process.