Anti-neutrophil Cytoplasmic Antibody-Associated Glomerulonephritis Secondary to Hydralazine: A Case Report.

Hydralazine is a vasodilator used in the treatment of resistant hypertension. It is a safe and widely used antihypertensive medicine. Its common adverse effects include headache, rebound tachycardia, fluid retention, and angina. It is a rare cause of anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA) associated vasculitis (AAV) with pulmonary and renal involvement. We report a case of a 74-year-old woman, with over eight years of use of hydralazine, who presented to the hospital with shortness of breath and cough. Blood work revealed deranged renal function with high creatinine levels. Serology workup was positive for anti-histone antibodies (AHA), anti-nuclear antibodies (ANA), myeloperoxidase (MPO) ANCA and proteinase-3 (PR-3) ANCA. Renal biopsy showed diffusely flattened tubular epithelium, focal micro vesicular degeneration, and focal loss of the brush border of the proximal tubular epithelium. Hydralazine was stopped and the patient was treated with corticosteroids, resulting in the resolution of her kidney injury.

Cocaine-Induced Acute Interstitial Nephritis: A Comparative Review of 7 Cases.

Acute interstitial nephritis is a well-known cause of acute kidney injury, but its association with cocaine use is extremely rare. In this article, we chronicle the case of a patient who developed acute interstitial nephritis secondary to cocaine insufflation. Furthermore, we conducted a systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Cochrane, Embase, and Scopus databases regarding cocaine-induced acute interstitial nephritis. A comprehensive review of the search results yielded a total of 7 case reports only. The data on patient characteristics, clinical features, biochemical profiles, treatment, and outcomes were collected and analyzed. This paper illustrates that acute interstitial nephritis may be added to the list of differentials in patients with acute kidney injury and a history of cocaine use. The therapeutic approach for cocaine-related kidney disease may be different than other etiologies responsible for acute renal insult. Prompt recognition of this entity is crucial because such patients may ultimately develop severe deterioration in renal function.

The Fit Family Challenge: A Primary Care Childhood Obesity Pilot Intervention.

BACKGROUND: Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over several decades, and the American Academy of Pediatrics has recommended primary care practices as ideal sites for the identification, education, and implementation of therapeutic interventions. The objective of this study was to describe the implementation and results for the Fit Family Challenge (FFC), a primary care-based childhood obesity intervention. METHODS: A single-intervention pilot project that trains primary care practices on childhood obesity guidelines and implementation of a family-focused behavior modification curriculum. A total of 29 family medicine and pediatric community practices in Colorado participated. Participants included 290 patients, aged 6 to 12 years, with a body mass index (BMI) above the 85th percentile. The main outcome measure included the feasibility of implementation of a childhood obesity program in primary care; secondary outcomes were changes in BMI percentile, BMI z-scores, blood pressure, and changes in lifestyle factors related to childhood obesity. RESULTS: Implementation of FFC is feasible, statically significant changes were seen for decreases in BMI percentile and BMI z-scores for participants who completed 9 to 15 months of follow-up; lifestyle factors related to childhood obesity in proved Spanish-speaking families and food insecurity were associated with less follow-up time (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: A primary care-based childhood obesity intervention may result in significant clinical and lifestyle changes.

IgA-dominant acute poststaphylococcal glomerulonephritis complicating diabetic nephropathy.

Two pathological patterns of acute poststaphylococcal glomerulonephritis are well defined and include (1) an acute proliferative and exudative glomerulonephritis closely resembling classical acute poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis in patients with Staphylococcus aureus infection and (2) a membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis in patients with Staphylococcus epidermidis infection secondary to ventriculovascular shunts. In this study, we report a novel immunopathologic phenotype of immunoglobulin (Ig) A-dominant acute poststaphylococcal glomerulonephritis occurring in patients with underlying diabetic nephropathy. Five patients with type 2 diabetes presented with acute renal failure occurring after culture-positive staphylococcal infection. Renal biopsy disclosed an atypical pattern of acute endocapillary proliferative and exudative glomerulonephritis with intense deposits of IgA as the sole or dominant immunoglobulin, mimicking IgA nephropathy. The deposits were predominantly mesangial in distribution with few subepithelial humps. All five cases occurred superimposed on well-established diabetic nephropathy. Outcome was poor with irreversible renal failure in four of five (80%) cases. The possible pathophysiological basis of this atypical form of acute poststaphylococcal glomerulonephritis in diabetic patients is explored. Proper recognition of this entity is needed to avoid an erroneous diagnosis of IgA nephropathy, with corresponding therapeutic and prognostic implications.

Henoch-Schönlein purpura in an older man presenting as rectal bleeding and IgA mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis: a case report.

INTRODUCTION: Henoch-Schönlein purpura is the most common systemic vasculitis in children. Typical presentations are palpable purpura, abdominal pain, arthritis, and hematuria. This vasculitic syndrome can present as an uncommon cause of rectal bleeding in older patients. We report a case of an older man with Henoch-Schönlein purpura. He presented with rectal bleeding and acute kidney injury secondary to IgA mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 75-year-old Polish man with a history of diverticulosis presented with a five-day history of rectal bleeding. He had first noticed colicky left lower abdominal pain two months previously. At that time he was treated with a 10-day course of ciprofloxacin and metronidazole for possible diverticulitis. He subsequently presented with rectal bleeding to our emergency department. Physical examination revealed generalized palpable purpuric rash and tenderness on his left lower abdomen. Laboratory testing showed a mildly elevated serum creatinine of 1.3. Computed tomography of his abdomen revealed a diffusely edematous and thickened sigmoid colon. Flexible sigmoidoscopy showed severe petechiae throughout the colon. Colonic biopsy showed small vessel acute inflammation. Skin biopsy resulted in a diagnosis of leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Due to worsening kidney function, microscopic hematuria and new onset proteinuria, he underwent a kidney biopsy which demonstrated IgA mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis. A diagnosis of Henoch-Schönlein purpura was made. Intravenous methylprednisolone was initially started and transitioned to prednisone tapering orally to complete six months of therapy. There was marked improvement of abdominal pain. Skin lesions gradually faded and gastrointestinal bleeding stopped. Acute kidney injury also improved. CONCLUSION: Henoch-Schönlein purpura, an uncommon vasculitic syndrome in older patients, can present with lower gastrointestinal bleeding, extensive skin lesions and renal involvement which responds well to systemic steroid therapy. A history of diverticulosis can mislead physicians to the diagnosis of diverticular bleeding which is more common in this age group. The clinical manifestations of the disease, including characteristic skin rash, abdominal pain, joint inflammation and renal involvement raised the suspicious of Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

Mycophenolate mofetil for the treatment of interstitial nephritis.

Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) is a clinicopathologic entity that is characterized by acute renal failure and renal biopsy findings of interstitial inflammation and tubulitis. There are multiple causes of AIN, the majority of which appear to respond to immunosuppressive therapy. Corticosteroids are the mainstay of treatment for AIN, but many patients are refractory to or intolerant of treatment or are unable to discontinue therapy without clinical relapse. Herein are reported eight cases of steroid-resistant, biopsy-proven AIN that were treated successfully with mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) at one institution. Patients had a mean decline in serum creatinine from 2.3 to 1.6 mg/dl over a mean of 24.3 mo of treatment. Six of the eight patients had a decline in serum creatinine of at least 0.3 mg/dl, and the remaining two patients had stable renal function during the treatment period. At most recent follow-up, five of the eight patients successfully have discontinued treatment with MMF for a mean of 6.4 mo. MMF was well tolerated by all patients. It is concluded that MMF is a useful therapeutic option for steroid-resistant AIN and may be considered as potential first-line therapy in select populations.

Flumazenil and dialysis for gabapentin-induced coma.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a case of gabapentin-induced coma that was reversed with flumazenil and hemodialysis. CASE SUMMARY: We describe an 83-year-old dialysis-dependent white man who became comatose after a single dose of gabapentin for phantom limb pain. The patient was successfully revived from the coma with administration of flumazenil, which was then followed by hemodialysis. Serum concentration data before and 4 hours after dialysis document the effectiveness of hemodialysis for gabapentin toxicity. DISCUSSION: An objective causality assessment revealed that this adverse event was probably related to the gabapentin that the patient received. To our knowledge, this is the first documented case of not only gabapentin-induced coma, but also the effectiveness of flumazenil for treatment of this type of coma. Although therapeutic hemodialysis has been previously described, our case report is strengthened by the serum concentration monitoring accompanying it. CONCLUSIONS: This report underscores the importance of initiating gabapentin therapy at low doses in dialysis-dependent patients and introduces a novel treatment for those who experience toxicity.