Histopathological Spectrum of Glomerular Diseases in Oman: A Five-year Study

Glomerular diseases are numerous and difficult to diagnose without a renal biopsy. Despite the development of many radiological and laboratory tests and the use of up-to-date equipment, renal biopsies are the best method for diagnosing renal diseases. This study aimed to analyze the histopathological patterns of glomerular diseases in Oman. Light microscopy and immunofluorescence markers such as immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, IgM, C3, and C1q, which are routinely used to evaluate the presence of immune deposits, were analyzed. In total, 596 renal biopsies were retrospectively analyzed at the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital for a 5-year period (2011–2015). Males represented 45.8%, and the median age was 29.7 years. Primary glomerular diseases were more common in males (54%); secondary glomerular diseases were more prevalent among females (76.7%). The prevalence of primary glomerular diseases (65.6%) was more dominant than secondary glomerular diseases (34.4%). Lupus nephritis (LN) was the most common secondary glomerular disease and was the most prevalent among all biopsies (29.9%). Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), membranous glomerulopathy, IgA nephropathy, minimal change disease, and diffuse global glomerulosclerosis were the most common primary glomerular diseases, accounting for 21.5%, 9.1%, 8.6%, 6.4%, and 6.2%, respectively. The level of the fluorescein isothiocyanate C1q marker in the top five renal diseases was low compared with other markers. In conclusion, in Oman, LN was the most common glomerular disease encountered and FSGS was the most common primary glomerular disease. The findings suggest that the localization of glomerular C1q in renal diseases needs to be investigated further.