Thrombotic microangiopathy and pregnancy

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to draw attention to a nosological unit called thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). This syndrome represents a serious pathological condition characterized by microangiopathic haemolytic anemia (MAHA), thrombocytopenia and various organ dysfunction. Patients are most often presented with symptoms of the HELLP syndrome but if the clinical picture is not restituted within 48-72 hours after delivery, other TMAs should be considered.

SETTING

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1st Medical Faculty and General Teaching Hospital Prague; Clinic of Nephrology, 1st Medical Faculty and General Teaching Hospital Prague; Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Regional Hospital Kolín.

DESIGN

Review article and case reports.

METHODS

Review of the literature and description of two cases of TMA.

CONCLUSION

The authors present a basic overview of the issue of TMA, which requires interdisciplinary cooperation of obstetricians, anesthesiologists, nephrologists and hematologists. In the second part of the article, we present two TMA case reports and finally show the differential diagnostic and therapeutic scheme as agreed by the authorities in the field.

Can adequate treatment influence the postembolization syndrome and cytokine release in patients undergoing iatrogenic renal artery embolization?

The complete renal artery embolization is an alternative to surgical nephrectomy in seriously ill patients. Iatrogenic embolization can be used in many different conditions. Refractory nephrotic syndrome represents a very rare indication for embolization. Complete renal artery embolization has usually been complicated by postembolization syndrome (PES) which is characterized by flank pain and fever. Possible immunologic contribution to the PES leads some authors to the administration of corticosteroids to the patients undergoing embolization. We report here a cohort of 13 patients undergoing complete embolization of total 21 kidneys due to refractory nephrotic syndrome non-responding to the various specific treatment regimes. We treated our patients undergoing renal artery embolization according to special protocol containing combination of antibiotic drugs and corticosteroids (CS) to diminish PES and evaluated its influence to the cytokine production. The incidence of PES was less frequent and milder in comparison with the historical group of patients. Significant decrease in plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor α during first post-embolization day (8.37 pre- vs. 5.74 pg/ml post-embolization, P=0.0002) could partially explain the reduction of PES symptoms. The procedure was not complicated by severe complications and represents an elegant alternative to surgical procedure. The accurate timing of the embolization remains a controversial point in this intervention.

DNA analysis of renal electrolyte transporter genes among patients suffering from Bartter and Gitelman syndromes: summary of mutation screening

Patients with renal diseases associated with salt-losing tubulopathies categorized as Gitelman and classic form of Bartter syndrome have undergone genetic screening for possible mutation capture in two different genes: SLC12A3 and CLCNKB. Clinical symptoms of these two diseases may overlap. Patients with clinical symptoms of antenatal form of Bartter syndrome were screened for mutations in two different genes: KCNJ1 and SLC12A1. The aim was to establish genetic mutation screening of Bartter/Gitelman syndrome and to confirm the proposed diagnosis. We have identified seven different causative mutations in the SLC12A3 gene, four in the CLCNKB gene, two in the SLC12A1 gene, and none in the KCNJ1 gene. Nine of these mutations are novel. In one case, genetic analysis led to re-evaluation of diagnosis between the Gitelman and classic form of Bartter syndrome.

The influence of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) polymorphism on the progression of chronic glomerulonephritides

Vascular endothelial growth factor is an important mediator in maintaining normal kidney functions. In addition, several lines of evidence show that up-regulation of this mediator in glomeruli may be associated with or may directly cause renal dysfunction. We tried to assess the influence of the -2578 C/A and -1154 G/A polymorphisms in the regulatory region of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene upon progression of three primary chronic glomerulonephritides (minimal change disease/focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis, membranous nephropathy, immunoglobulin A nephropathy). We studied a cohort of 213 patients compared to 311 unrelated healthy controls. Analysis of the C/A polymorphism of vascular endothelial growth factor revealed an increased prevalence of CC genotype in the minimal change disease/focal and segmental glomerulosclerosis group in comparison with the other groups. A balanced distribution of G and A alleles among the respective types of chronic glomerulonephritides was shown in the analysis of -1154 G/A polymorphism. Finally, we have not proved any significant influence of the polymorphisms at positions -2578 C/A and -1154 G/A of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene promoter on the progression of chronic glomerulonephritides even though our study suggests a negative effect of CC genotype of -2578 C/A polymorphism on the clinical course of minimal change disease/focal segmental glomerulosclerosis.