Ask the Doctor Questions about kidney disease? Risk factors?
Signs and symptoms? Are you concerned about yourself, a friend
or family member? Ask Dr. Spry. Carol Dahl, RN, CRNP University
of Alabama at Birmingham Division of Transplant Nephrology
Approximately 2 to 10 percent of patients diagnosed with human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have renal disease. Persons of
African-American ethnicity are disproportionately affected,
suggesting that genetic factors play a role in development of
HIV nephropathy. Of those diagnosed with the condition,
approximately 95 percent are young black men. HIV nephropathy
occurs most commonly in patients whose CD4 count is less than
200/uL. The clinical presentation may include findings of
nephritic or non-nephrotic range proteinuria, microscopic
hematuria and elevated serum creatinine, along with radiologic
findings of increased echogenecity and renal hypertrophy. The
most common form of HIV nephropathy is collapsing focal
segmental glomerulosclerosis. There are numerous other