Complement 3 glomerulonephritis in rheumatoid arthritis: A case report and follow‑up
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- Published online on: July 18, 2018 https://doi.org/10.3892/etm.2018.6476
- Pages: 2639-2644
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Abstract
Glomerulonephritis (GN) caused by rheumatoid arthritis may manifest as various pathological types; however, to the best of our knowledge, rheumatoid arthritis‑associated complement 3 (C3)‑GN has not been reported by any previous studies. C3GN is caused by dysregulation of the alternative pathway of complements, which is completely different from activation of the classic pathway of a typical autoimmune disease to cause renal damage. The present study describes a patient with a history of rheumatoid arthritis for 18 years, who presented with edema, proteinuria, hematuria, hypoproteinemia and a hypocomplementemic state. The pathological diagnosis was C3GN based on histological examination of a renal biopsy specimen. Hormone treatment on its own appeared to be effective and achieved complete clinical remission, while the follow‑up of the condition remained stable.
