Membranous nephropathy and pulmonary alveolar proteinosis

Intern Med. 2007;46(17):1441-6. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.46.0129. Epub 2007 Sep 3.

Abstract

A 47-year-old woman with a severe cough and high-grade fever demonstrated proteinuria of 3.2 g/day. Chest radiograph and CT scan revealed scattered small nodules and ground-glass opacities with interlobular septal thickening in both lungs. The serum levels of surfactant A, surfactant D, and KL-6 were increased to 190 ng/ml (normal: 0-43.8), 360 ng/ml (normal: 0-110), and 4850 U/ml (normal: 0-500), respectively. Video-assisted thoracoscopic lung biopsy revealed eosinophilic amorphous material within alveoli and thickened alveolar septa, which is compatible with pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Kidney biopsy exhibited membranous nephropathy (Stage I-II) accompanied by granular IgG deposition along the glomerular basement membrane. Although the patient refused treatment with granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, her proteinuria and the pulmonary lesion gradually diminished and disappeared after one year.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Autoantibodies
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / immunology
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / immunology
  • Female
  • Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / complications
  • Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / diagnosis*
  • Glomerulonephritis, Membranous / immunology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase / immunology
  • Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / complications
  • Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / diagnosis*
  • Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis / immunology
  • Remission, Spontaneous
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins / immunology

Substances

  • Autoantibodies
  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Tumor Suppressor Proteins
  • ENO1 protein, human
  • Phosphopyruvate Hydratase