Covert bacteriuria in nephrotic syndrome.

Prevalence of covert bacteriuria in patients of nephrotic syndrome admitted for kidney biopsy was studied in 205 patients. Age ranged from 10 years to 65 years. 148 patients were male and 57 were female. Prevalence of covert bacteriuria was found in 38 patients (18.53%). In bacteriuric patients 30 were male, 8 were female. Escherichia coli was the commonest organism grown in bacteriuric patients (30 or 78.9%). Serum albumin was low and 24-hour urinary protein excretion was high in bacteriuric patients in comparison to abacteriuric patients. In bacteriuric patients membranous nephropathy was the commonest histopathological finding present in 15 patients (39.47%).