Spectrum of Renal Lesions on Autopsy: Experience of a Tertiary Level Institute Based on Retrospective Histopathological Analysis

Introduction: Last few decades have seen a remarkable increase in the elderly population. Aging is an established risk factor for chronic kidney diseases associated with increased mortality and morbidity. The frequency and spectrum of renal pathology on autopsy specimen is not well documented and is often overlooked by physicians as well as forensic pathologists. Aim: The present study aims to find out the prevalence and pattern of various types of renal pathologies, based on the histopathological analysis of renal tissue where autopsies were performed whether related or unrelated to renal diseases. Material and methods: This retrospective study of six years consisted of 557 autopsies. The bits of 417 samples of kidney tissue/whole kidney, retrieved at the time of autopsy were received, processed, and examined. Results: The male to female ratio approximately was 2:1, and 83.69% of cases were in 11-50 years age groups. Among the 159 cases having definitive renal findings, the commonest pathologies were seen in tubules and interstitial tissues (58.49% cases), followed by 38.36% cases with involvement of all components of renal tissues. There were four cases of isolated vascular changes and one case having Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The series had 12 cases of renal tuberculosis. Conclusions: The study highlights the various lesions of kidney found in renal tissue obtained on autopsy. The physician as well as forensic pathologists must be aware of the high prevalence and wide spectrum of possible pathologies in the kidney. The focus should be to develop more efficacious diagnostic methods for timely intervention.