Study of tonsillectomy for IgA nephropathy patients: short- and longer-term observation

Objective We observed serum parameters and urinary findings of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) patients in the short and longer time after tonsillectomy, to provide evidences to clarify the role of tonsils in the pathogenesis of IgAN and the feasibility of tonsillectomy for IgAN patients. Methods For the short-term study, 19 patients with both IgAN and chronic tonsillitis (group A) and 19 patients with chronic tonsillitis (group B) were performed bilateral tonsillectomy and 19 healthy people as normal controls (group C). Another 115 patients with IgAN and chronic tonsillitis including 61 patients for tonsillectomy combined with drug therapy and 54 for drug therapy alone followed up for 12 months. Results Fourteen patients of group A showed a deterioration of urinary findings, while only 2 patients of group B showed deterioration ( P