A Case of Idiopathic Membranous Glomerulonephritis in association with Thin Glomerular Basement Membrane Nephropathy / 대한신장학회잡지

ABSTRACT

We report a rare case of the idiopathic membranous glomerulonephritis (IMGN) in association with the thin glomerular basement membrane nephropathy (TGBMN) in a 63-year-old female with hematuria. This is the first case reported in Korea. In renal biopsy of this case, direct immunofluorescence demonstrated anti-IgG Ab along the glomerular capillary wall with granular pattern. The basement membrane was thin, about 170-220 nm and small epimembranous electron dense deposits were observed by electron microscopy. As this case, the combination of TGBMN and IMGN is very uncommon because the IMGN is characterized morphologically by diffuse global thickening of the glomerular capillary wall, while the TGBMN is defined as an extreme thinning of the glomerular basement membrane, less than 200 nm. Our case showed no renal function deterioration and benign prognosis as other reports showed.