Comparing adolescent glomerular disease clinical outcomes to the clinical outcomes in childhood, young adult, and adult-onset glomerular disease in the CureGN database

There is a lack of evidence to suggest that outcomes of adolescent and adult-onset glomerular disease differ. Still, most glomerular disease trials include adults but exclude adolescents.

We designed a retrospective study using the CureGN database to compare individuals with adolescent-onset glomerular disease relative to individuals with older and younger age at onset. The two main outcomes were sustained proteinuria remission off immunosuppression treatment and composite eGFR decline.

Our data did not show a significant difference in sustained proteinuria remission off treatment or composite eGFR decline between adolescent onset glomerular disease and either childhood (age 5–12), young adult (age 20–29), or adult (age 30–39) onset glomerular disease. Having high-risk APOL1 alleles and hypertension at the time of study enrollment decreased the likelihood of achieving sustained proteinuria remission off treatment. While participants with minimal change disease and IgA nephropathy were similarly likely to achieve sustained proteinuria remission off treatment, participants with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and membranous nephropathy were less likely to achieve sustained proteinuria remission off treatment compared to participants with minimal change disease. CKD stage, high-risk APOL1 alleles, hypertension stage, and education all significantly impacted the likelihood of progression to the composite eGFR decline outcome.

Approximately 25% of each age cohort reached the composite eGFR decline outcome within 5 years. As more glomerular disease clinical trials become available, we must consider opening these trials to people with childhood and adolescent onset disease since like adults they are at high risk of progressive kidney function decline.