Shunt Nephritis: A Case of Mistaken Identity

ABSTRACT

Background: Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis is a histological pattern of glomerular injury due to the deposition of immune complexes and complement factors. It is associated with bacterial and viral infections, auto-immune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjögren’s syndrome, monoclonal gammopathy, and complement disorders (dense deposit disease and C3 glomerulopathy).  

Case presentation: This is the report of a 25-year-old male with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis who was initially treated for systemic lupus erythematosus, but who was later diagnosed with nephritis due to a chronic infection of a central nervous system shunt, last revised at the age of 3 years old.

Discussion: We highlight the challenges in making an early diagnosis of shunt nephritis, and succinctly discuss the clinical, biochemical, histopathological findings, and differential diagnosis of this type of infection-related glomerulonephritis.

KEYWORDS:

• membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis
• systemic lupus erythematosus
• shunt nephritis
• central nervous system shunt

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.