Drawing the gut to kidney axis in IgA nephropathy

IgA nephropathy is a kidney disease, but its story begins in the gut. This figure was produced for Medscape Education to explain that journey in a single frame: mucosal tissue in the gut wall, the production of galactose-deficient IgA1, the formation of immune complexes in the circulation, and their deposition in the glomerulus. These are the four hits, and the figure is built around them.

Reading order

The figure reads left to right. The gut sits first, the circulation runs through the middle, and the kidney closes the image. Each stage hands off to the next with a drawn connection rather than a loose arrow, so the sequence of the four hits is never in doubt.

One colour per idea

Antibodies, immune complexes and the tissues they affect each keep a single colour throughout. That consistency is what lets the figure work on a slide at speed and still hold up to a slower read in print.

This piece sits in the clinical and editorial series with the other figures made for Medscape Education.