Presentation, pathology and prognosis of renal disease in type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: Non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD) is common in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D), but the relationship between its presentation and prognosis is unknown. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: In a retrospective cohort study, we compared renal and patient survival among 263 patients with T2D who had native renal biopsies between 2002 and 2008 from three Auckland hospitals in New Zealand. The presence of diabetic nephropathy (DN), NDRD or mixed (DN and NDRD) was determined from biopsy. We examined clinical associations according to NDRD etiologies and mode of presentation-acute (defined by acute kidney injury (AKI)) or non-acute. Patients were followed until end-stage renal disease, death or December 2015. Survival was compared using Log-rank test. RESULTS: 94 (36%) patients had DN, 72 (27%) had NDRD, and 97 (37%) had mixed pathologies. Obesity-related focal segmental glomerulosclerosis was the most common NDRD (46%) in patients with non-acute presentations, whereas interstitial nephritis or immune-complex glomerulonephritides were the most prevalent in those with acute presentations (60%). DN was commonly associated with AKI (p<0.001). The prevalence of DN increased with diabetes duration (p<0.001), but NDRD was still found in 55% of subjects with ≥14 years T2D. NDRD was strongly associated with the absence of retinopathy (p<0.001). Renal survival was best in the NDRD group (p<0.001). Among those with DN, renal prognosis was worse in those with more advanced DN lesions and those with an acute presentation (p<0.001). The proportion of all-cause mortality was similar in all three groups, but overall survival was poorest in the DN group (p=0.025). CONCLUSIONS: Renal disease in patients with T2D is heterogeneous. The renal prognosis differs markedly according to histopathological diagnosis and mode of presentation.

Malignancy in Membranous Nephropathy: Evaluation of Incidence.

BACKGROUND: Membranous nephropathy (MN) can be associated with malignancy. However, the relative risk for malignancy remains unclear. It has been reported that higher numbers of inflammatory cells seen in the glomeruli at biopsy correlate with the occurrence of malignancy in patients with MN and might be used to direct screening. METHODS: We examined the occurrence of malignancy in 201 MN patients in Auckland, New Zealand. We also examined the pathology of renal biopsies from 17 MN patients with malignancies and compared the number of inflammatory cells per glomerulus with matched control patients with MN but no malignancy. RESULTS: 40 malignancies were identified in 37 patients, 28 of which occurred after the MN diagnosis. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) was 2.1 (95% CI, 1.3-2.85) which was similar between patients ≥ 60 years and those <60 years. The median number of inflammatory cells per glomerulus did not differ between MN patients with and without malignancy at 1.86 (IQR, 1.17-2.7) and 2.07 (IQR, 1.17-3.65), respectively (p value 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: The relative risk of malignancy in MN patients was similar across different age groups. The number of inflammatory cells per glomerulus did not differentiate between MN patients with and without malignancies.

Bile Nephropathy in Flucloxacillin-Induced Cholestatic Liver Dysfunction.

Kidney injury in the context of cholestatic liver dysfunction is not uncommon; this has been historically referred to as cholemic nephrosis implying a direct deleterious renal effect of cholemia. However, scepticism about the exact role that bile and its constituents play in this injury has led to the disappearance of the term. We describe a case of severe AKI due to bile nephropathy with bile casts in flucloxacillin-induced liver dysfunction. We also discuss the recent literature reviving the concept of bile nephropathy.

Non-diabetic renal diseases in a multi-ethnic New Zealand cohort with type 2 diabetes mellitus: clinical and histopathological features.

The aims of this study were to identify non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD), including obesity related glomerulopathy (ORG) in diabetic patients, and compare the findings with those of pure diabetic nephropathy (DN).Ninety-three renal biopsies from diabetic patients were reviewed retrospectively, along with their clinical findings at biopsy and their estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) over 5 years follow-up. DN and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) were diagnosed on blinded histology review, together with assessment of renal compartment histology. Other NDRD were diagnosed on full review.Most patients were obese with poor renal function at biopsy. NDRD occurred in more than two-thirds of biopsies. FSGS and interstitial nephritis were common. Patients with pure FSGS presented earlier, and had favourable histological features and clinical course. Most FSGS patients fulfilled criteria for ORG. Biopsies with interstitial nephritis showed more functional glomerular tissue, and most patients retained good renal function. Adverse prognostic features were DN versus NDRD, nodular grade of DN, low eGFR at biopsy, and severe chronic histological changes.In this population, ORG mechanisms contribute to renal injury. FSGS is frequent, and should be diagnosed separately from any DN. Biopsy to confirm suspicion of interstitial nephritis should be performed even if retinopathy is present.

Hurthle cell carcinoma arising from thyroid papillary carcinoma.

Hurthle cell carcinoma of the thyroid is generally considered to be a subtype of follicular carcinoma. We report a case of a small solitary usual-type papillary carcinoma of the thyroid, with metastatic tumor in cervical lymph nodes. The lymph node tumor consisted of both tall-cell papillary carcinoma and Hurthle cell carcinoma. This suggests a closer relationship between papillary cell carcinoma and Hurthle cell tumors than previously appreciated.