A case of membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis developed over twenty years with three different findings of renal pathology

A 31-year-old woman with proteinuria, hypocomplementemia, rheumatoid factor, and high serum polyclonal IgM concentration was admitted to our hospital for renal biopsy. She had a past history of two renal biopsies. When she was 12 years old, she developed proteinuria, microscopic hematuria, and hypocomplementemia. She was diagnosed as having ‘IgM nephropathy’ based on minor glomerular abnormalities as determined by light microscopy and IgM and C3 deposition in the mesangial region by immunofluorescence microscopy at the first biopsy. Despite corticosteroid treatment, her proteinuria did not improve and she discontinued regular outpatient checkups. When she was 29 years old and pregnant, she developed preeclampsia and, after delivery, a second renal biopsy was implemented. She was diagnosed as having progressed ‘IgM nephropathy’ with endotheliosis induced by preeclampsia. She was treated with angiotensin II receptor blocker and her proteinuria diminished; however, 1 year after the delivery, she developed proteinuria again, along with microscopic hematuria and hypocomplementemia. A third renal biopsy was conducted at 31 years of age and she was diagnosed as having membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) type I on the basis of diffuse mesangial proliferation, endocapillary hypercellularity with double contour of the capillary wall, and lobular formation in glomeruli, as determined by light microscopy. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated deposits of C3, C4, C1q, and IgM in the mesangial region and capillary wall. She underwent corticosteroid therapy followed by normalization of urinalysis and serum complement level. Although she had initially been diagnosed with ‘IgM nephropathy’, she was finally diagnosed with secondary MPGN and was successfully treated by corticosteroid therapy.