Acute renal failure with severe tubulointerstitial changes in a patient with minimal change nephrotic syndrome treated with enalapril

A 35-year-old nephrotic man developed acute renal failure with serum creatinine to 1543 micromol/l after a month of therapy with enalapril. Renal biopsy demonstrated minimal glomerular changes with fusion of podocytes, tubular necrosis with regeneration of tubular epithelial cells, interstitial edema with focal interstitial fibrosis, and interstitial infiltration with neutrophils, eosinophils, plasma cells and mononuclear cells. Three hemodialyses were performed in the patient during the oliguric phase of the disease. Renal function was restored after withdrawal of enalapril and initiation of steroid therapy. Steroids also contributed to the improvement of the nephrotic syndrome and proteinuria decreased from maximal ranges of 27 g/l to 2.2 g/l after six months of the follow-up. Similar cases were previously described associated with captopril treatment, but not with enalapril.