Here is the light microscopic appearance of membranous nephropathy in which the capillary loops are thickened and prominent, but the cellularity is not increased. Membranous GN is the most common cause for nephrotic syndrome in adults. In most cases there is no underlying condition present (idiopathic). However, some cases of membranous GN can be linked to a chronic infectious disease such as hepatitis B, a carcinoma, or SLE.

Characteristic urinalysis findings are shown below.



Macroscopic Urinalysis:

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Leukocyte esterase
Nitrite
pH
Protein
Blood
Specific gravity
Ketones
Glucose
Bilirubin
CharacteristicResult
ColorYellow
AppearanceSlightly Cloudy
Leukocyte EsteraseNeg
NitriteNeg
pH6.5
Protein4+
BloodNeg
Specific Gravity1.020
KetonesNeg
GlucoseNeg
BilirubinNeg

Microscopic Urinalysis:

CharacteristicResult
WBC/hpf <2/hpf
RBC/hpf None
Casts None
Other None