Idiopathic membranous nephropathy in a patient diagnosed with IgG4-related disease: A case report

IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis with acute kidney injury: a case report and literature review

IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare cause of renal dysfunction that usually manifests as obstructive nephropathy (sometimes with extrarenal manifestations). Due to the non-specific symptoms at the onset of the disease and often latent course, special laboratory and instrumental examination methods are usually needed to establish a diagnosis. The article describes a clinical case of a relapse of IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis in a 53-year-old patient, who developed bilateral ureterohydronephrosis with postrenal acute kidney injury after the withdrawal of glucocorticoid therapy. The patient underwent bilateral percutaneous nephrostomy and resumed glucocorticoids at a dose of 30 mg/day. Postobstructive diuresis was 22 L. Treatment resulted in a complete normalization of the creatinine level and transient hypokalemia, which was eliminated with potassium medications. At the final stage of the treatment, bilateral stenting of both ureters was performed with a tapering of glucocorticoids to 5 mg per day with CT control of the retroperitoneal space after 5 months. A clinical case demonstrates that an interruption of glucocorticoid treatment in patients with IgG4-related retroperitoneal fibrosis can lead to ureterohydronephrosis with the development of acute kidney injury. In such cases, stenting of the ureters could be considered an optimal therapeutic option.

Recent advances in IgG4-related kidney disease

Recent advances in the management and understanding of immunoglobulin (Ig)G4-related kidney disease (RKD) have emphasized the importance of urgent treatment in IgG4-related tubulointerstitial nephritis. On the other hand, to avoid long-term glucocorticoid toxicity, strategies for early withdrawal of steroids or combination of immunosuppressants, such as rituximab, and the minimum dose of steroids have been pursued. However, disease recurrence after reducing or stopping steroid therapy hampers early withdrawal of glucocorticoid maintenance therapy. In addition, knowledge has accumulated in diagnostic approaches including differential diagnosis of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies-associated vasculitis, idiopathic multicentric Castleman's disease, and Rosai-Dorfman disease with kidney lesion, which leads to earlier and precise diagnosis of IgG4-RKD. This review summarizes recent progress in the differential diagnosis of IgG4-RKD and related treatment strategies and recent topics of hypocomplementaemia, membranous glomerulonephritis, and IgG4-related pyelitis and periureteral lesion.