Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42611095›Full record

ArticleClinical and experimental nephrology2026

Morphological subtypes and clinicopathological features of podocyte infolding glomerulopathy: retrospective nationwide Japanese cohort study of 93 cases.

Kazuhiro Takeuchi, Akiko Mii, Ritsuko Katafuchi, Yoshihide Fujigaki, Shiko Honma, Takamasa Iwakura, Mineaki Kitamura, Yuta Matsukuma, Makoto Abe, Ryoko Sakaguchi and 7 more

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Article in Clinical and experimental nephrology, 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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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Kazuhiro TakeuchiDepartment of Analytic Human Pathology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan. takekazu04044@gmail.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3702-3578
Akiko MiiDepartment of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Nephrology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0326-8267
Ritsuko KatafuchiKidney Unit, Medical Corporation Houshikai Kano Hospital, Kasuya, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0002-0360-1568
Yoshihide FujigakiTeikyo University General Medical Education and Research Center, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2803-9161
Shiko HonmaDepartment of Pathology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0005-7402-5125
Takamasa IwakuraPreventive Medicine for Severe Progression of Lifestyle-Related Diseases, Hamamatsu University School of Medicine, Hamamatsu, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2647-7504
Mineaki KitamuraDepartment of Nephrology, Nagasaki University Hospital, Nagasaki, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0003-8645
Yuta MatsukumaDepartment of Medicine and Clinical Science, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5416-3919
Makoto AbeDepartment of Nephrology and Hypertension, Dokkyo Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3049-0074
Ryoko SakaguchiDepartment of Pathology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0000-8844-9811
Hiroshi MorinagaDepartment of Comprehensive Therapy for Chronic Kidney Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-718X
Mizuko TanakaDepartment of Basic Pathology, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
Shinichi NishiDepartment of Nephrology, Hattori Hospital, Iwata, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6085-1606
Nobuhiko OhnoDepartment of Anatomy, Division of Histology and Cell Biology, Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6536-2753
Noritaka MamoritaDepartment of Medical Informatics, School of Allied Health Sciences, Kitasato University, Sagamihara, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3989-8802
Akira ShimizuDepartment of Analytic Human Pathology, Nippon Medical School, Tokyo, Japan.
Kensuke JohDepartment of Pathology, The Jikei University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9334-3664

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPodocyte infolding glomerulopathy (PIG) is a rare glomerular disease, with case reports and cohort studies lacking clear morphological diagnostic criteria. We aimed to establish transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-based diagnostic criteria for PIG and classify its morphological subtypes.

methodsThis retrospective nationwide cohort study was conducted by the PIG Working Group of the Japanese Society of Nephrology. Clinical data and TEM findings were collected from patients diagnosed with or suspected of PIG at 69 institutions across Japan between 1991-2025. PIG was defined by TEM as podocyte infolding exceeding half the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) thickness at two or more sites within a single capillary loop or the presence of microspheres or microtubules within the GBM. Cases were classified into morphological subtypes, and their clinical characteristics were analyzed.

resultsAmong 103 registered cases, 93 met diagnostic criteria. Four morphological subtypes were identified: Type A, primary podocyte infolding without prominent microspheres or microtubules (n = 21); Type B, predominant microspheres (n = 34); Type C, microtubules with or without microspheres (n = 38); and Type D, dense clusters of microspheres (n = 10). Types B and C were more common in younger females and frequently associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (58% and 71%, respectively), whereas Types A and D occurred mainly in older males and were not associated with SLE.

conclusionsWe established TEM-based diagnostic criteria for PIG and identified four morphological subtypes, suggesting two clinicopathological phenotypes: SLE-associated (B and C) and non-SLE-associated (A and D).

Indexed as

Morphological subtypesPodocyte infolding glomerulopathySystemic lupus erythematosusTransmission electron microscopy

Identifiers

PMID42611095

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