Collapsing Glomerulopathy in Lambda Light Chain Amyloidosis: A Report of 2 Cases

Am J Kidney Dis. 2018 Oct;72(4):612-616. doi: 10.1053/j.ajkd.2018.04.009. Epub 2018 Jun 19.

Abstract

Amyloid nephropathy is an uncommon disease that frequently presents with reduced kidney function and proteinuria and, in developed nations, is most often associated with underlying paraproteinemia. The histologic appearance of glomerular amyloid deposition includes mesangial and capillary wall infiltration by an amorphous eosinophilic material, and features of endo- or extracapillary proliferation are not typically seen. Rare cases of crescentic injury have been reported in a subset of patients with amyloid nephropathy, particularly those with amyloid derived from serum amyloid A protein. Collapsing glomerulopathy, which like crescentic injury is associated with an extracapillary proliferation, has not to our knowledge been reported in the setting of amyloid nephropathy. We report 2 patients presenting with acute kidney injury and nephrotic syndrome found to have amyloid nephropathy with prominent epithelial cell hyperplasia and glomerular collapse on biopsy. This injury is likely multifactorial and related to direct podocyte injury and vascular compromise and expands further the spectrum of paraprotein-associated renal injury.

Keywords: AL amyloidosis; Amyloidosis; acute kidney injury (AKI); amyloid nephropathy; case report; collapsing glomerulopathy; deposition; immunoglobulin; lambda; light chain; nephrotic syndrome; paraprotein; renal biopsy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury / etiology
  • Acute Kidney Injury / pathology*
  • Acute Kidney Injury / therapy
  • Aged
  • Amyloidosis / complications*
  • Amyloidosis / pathology
  • Amyloidosis / physiopathology
  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Biopsy, Needle
  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Glomerular Mesangium / pathology
  • Glomerulonephritis / etiology*
  • Glomerulonephritis / pathology
  • Glomerulonephritis / therapy*
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Kidney Glomerulus / pathology
  • Male
  • Nephrotic Syndrome / etiology
  • Nephrotic Syndrome / pathology*
  • Nephrotic Syndrome / therapy
  • Renal Dialysis / methods*
  • Risk Assessment
  • Serum Amyloid A Protein / metabolism
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome

Substances

  • Serum Amyloid A Protein