Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39920094›Full record

ArticleChinese medical journal2026

Machine learning-based unsupervised phenotypic clustering analysis of patients with IgA nephropathy: Distinct therapeutic responses of different groups.

Yiqin Wang, Qiong Wen, Xingji Lian, Lingling Liu, Qian Zhou, Yunfang Zhang, Chao Chen, Gengmao Wu, Cheng Wang, Qinghua Liu and 1 more

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Article in Chinese medical journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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5 · Who and what money

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11 authors.

Yiqin WangDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Qiong WenDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Xingji LianDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Lingling LiuDepartment of Nephrology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, China.
Qian ZhouClinical Trials Unit, The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Yunfang ZhangDepartment of Nephrology, Huadu District People's Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510800, China.
Chao ChenDepartment of Nephrology, Jieyang People's Hospital (Jieyang Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University), Jieyang, Guangdong 522000, China.
Gengmao WuDepartment of Nephrology, Jieyang People's Hospital (Jieyang Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University), Jieyang, Guangdong 522000, China.
Cheng WangDepartment of Nephrology, The Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhuhai, Guangdong 519000, China.
Qinghua LiuDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.
Wei ChenDepartment of Nephrology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundImmunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN) has a heterogeneous clinical presentation. Comparison of different IgAN subgroups may facilitate the application of more targeted therapies. This study was aimed to distinct disease phenotypes in IgAN and to develop prognostic models for renal composite outcomes.

methodsClinical and pathological data were from 2000 patients with biopsy-proven primary IgAN from four centers, including the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), the Fifth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, the Huadu District People's Hospital of Guangzhou, and Jieyang Affiliated Hospital of SYSU in China between January 2009 and December 2018 (training cohort: 1203 patients, validation cohort: 797 patients). Components from principal components analysis (PCA) were used to fit a k-means clustering algorithm and identify distinct subgroups. A subgroup-based prediction model was developed to assess prognosis and therapeutic efficacy in each subgroup.

resultsThe PCA-k-means clustering algorithm identified four subgroups. Subgroup 1 had significantly better long-term renal survival upon administration of a renin-angiotensin system blocker (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR]: 0.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.10-0.27, P <0.001). Subgroup 2 had a significant improvement from corticosteroid therapy (aHR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.06-0.61, P = 0.005). Subgroups 3 and 4 had milder pathological changes and relatively stable kidney function for several years. Subgroup 3 (predominantly males) had a high incidence of metabolic risk factors, necessitating more intensive monitoring; subgroup 4 (predominantly females) had a high incidence of recurrent macroscopic hematuria. These patterns were similar in the validation cohort. A subgroup-based prognosis prediction model demonstrated an area under the curve of 0.856 in the validation dataset.

conclusionsThe unsupervised clustering method provided reliable classification of IgAN patients into different subgroups according to clinical features, prognoses, and treatment responsiveness. Our subgroup-based prediction model has significant clinical utility for the assessment of risk and treatment in patients with IgAN.

Indexed as

Glomerulonephritis, IGAMachine LearningUnsupervised Machine LearningAdultCluster AnalysisFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPhenotypePrincipal Component AnalysisPrognosisCluster analysisIgA nephropathyMachine learningPhenotype

Identifiers

PMID39920094
PMCPMC12768044

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