Urinary enzymatic markers (N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase) in assessing the tubulointerstitial compartment in chronic glomerulonephritis related to odontogenic foci

Chronic glomerulonephritis is related to focus infection. Odontogenic foci are frequently involved in glomerulonephritis. The relationship with the odontogenic focus infection can be demonstrated by the occurrence or aggravation of the symptoms of glomerulonephritis: proteinuria, haematuria, high blood pressure and oedema. Glomerular impairment in glomerulonephritis occurs together with inflammatory alterations of the tubulointerstitial compartment that can play an important part in the evolution of the disease. Tubular urinary markers can indicate the activation of this compartment during an infection of a focus, an odontogenic focus in our study. The paper aims at demonstrating the relationship between the odontogenic focus infection and tubulointerstitial lesions, assessed by a tubular urinary marker, N-acetyl beta-D glucosaminidase (NAG). We investigated the urinary N-acetyl beta-D glucosaminidase of 20 patients with chronic glomerulonephritis who presented odontogenic focus infections, comparing them with patients with chronic glomerulonephritis without odontogenic foci and of 20 controls, clinically healthy persons. Chronic glomerulonephritis patients with odontogenic focus infection presented clearly increased values as compared to clinically healthy control persons of urinary N-acetyl beta-D glucosaminidase. These patients underwent surgical intervention on the odontogenic focus under antibacterial prophylactic treatment. In 75 % cases, the values of N-acetyl beta-D glucosaminidase diminished, indicating the favourable effect of the treatment of the odontogenic focus on the tubulointerstitial compartment in patients with chronic glomerulonephritis. In 25 % cases this therapeutic treatment was associated with an increase of the values of urinary N-acetyl beta-D glucosaminidase, expressing its unfavourable effect on chronic glomerulonephritis. Urinary N-acetyl beta-D glucosaminidase indicated an etiopathogenetic relationship between the odontogenic focus and the tubulointerstitial compartment in chronic glomerulonephritis.