All of the following are true regarding minimal change glomerulonephritis except: March 2005
**Core Concept**
Minimal change glomerulonephritis is a disease characterized by the loss of foot processes of the podocytes, leading to massive proteinuria and hypoalbuminemia. It is a classic cause of nephrotic syndrome in children, but can also occur in adults. The exact pathogenesis is unclear, but it is thought to involve immune complex deposition and complement activation.
**Why the Correct Answer is Right**
Minimal change glomerulonephritis typically presents with massive proteinuria (>3.5 g/1.73 m^2/day), hypoalbuminemia, hyperlipidemia, and edema. The disease often responds well to corticosteroids, with complete remission in most patients. The loss of foot processes of the podocytes is a hallmark feature of the disease, which can be visualized using electron microscopy.
**Why Each Wrong Option is Incorrect**
**Option A:** This option is incorrect because minimal change glomerulonephritis is often associated with a good response to corticosteroids, whereas crescentic glomerulonephritis is typically resistant to immunosuppressive therapy.
**Option B:** This option is incorrect because minimal change glomerulonephritis is typically characterized by a lack of immune deposits on immunofluorescence microscopy, whereas membranous nephropathy is associated with the deposition of immune complexes.
**Option C:** This option is incorrect because minimal change glomerulonephritis is often associated with a normal serum complement level, whereas membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis is typically characterized by low complement levels.
**Clinical Pearl / High-Yield Fact**
A key feature of minimal change glomerulonephritis is the loss of foot processes of the podocytes, which can be visualized using electron microscopy. This feature is a hallmark of the disease and is often used to differentiate it from other causes of nephrotic syndrome.
**Correct Answer: A. Crescentic glomerulonephritis is typically resistant to immunosuppressive therapy.**