Alcohol consumption and kidney function in IgA glomerulonephritis.

Background: IgA glomerulonephritis (IgAGN) is a kidney disease with variable prognosis. Several known risk factors exist for a more progressive course. Some population studies indicate that moderate alcohol consumption might protect kidney function, but the relationship between alcohol intake and IgAGN has not previously been examined. Methods: We examined 158 (95 men) IgAGN patients (37 abstainers, 80 light drinkers, 25 moderate drinkers and 16 heavy drinkers) in a cross-sectional study. The definition of alcohol consumption was based on interviews on the amounts of alcohol intake combined with measurements of serum carbohydrate-deficient transferrin, a specific biomarker of alcohol abuse. Longitudinal data on renal function were available from 117 patients (76 men) in whom an analysis with respect to progression was also performed. Results: Moderate drinkers showed the best kidney function. When adjusted by hypertension and 24-hour protein excretion, moderate alcohol consumption in a cross-sectional multivariate analysis, and both light and moderate alcohol consumption in a longitudinal multivariate analysis were significant factors of better kidney function. When the study population was divided by gender, the best kidney function was among light drinkers in women and among moderate drinkers in men. Conclusions: Moderate alcohol consumption might have a favorable impact on the progression of IgAGN. Light alcohol consumption in women and moderate consumption in men are associated with improved indices of the glomerular filtration estimates in patients with IgAGN. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel