Nephrotic syndrome during the tapering of oral steroids after pathological diagnosis of Kimura disease from a lacrimal gland mass: case report and review of 10 Japanese patients.

A 42-year-old man with eosinophilia and high serum immunoglobulin E (IgE) developed a lacrimal gland mass on the left side. Excisional biopsy revealed hyperplasia of lymphoid follicles, and infiltration with lymphocytes and eosinophils around lacrimal gland acini, leading to the pathological diagnosis of Kimura disease. IgE-positive cells were mainly found along follicular dendritic cells, and a small number of IgG4-positive cells was present. One month after oral prednisolone was started at 40 mg daily and tapered to 10 mg daily, he developed lower leg edema on both sides and marked proteinuria (10.8 g/day). Renal biopsy showed no glomerular abnormalities, no immunoglobulin deposition, and no tubulointerstitial infiltration with eosinophils, leading to the diagnosis of minimal change nephrotic syndrome. Proteinuria subsided in response to an increased dose of prednisolone to 30 mg daily. Proteinuria relapsed three times in the following 5 years when oral prednisolone was tapered. In conclusion, Kimura disease manifested as an orbital mass and did not relapse. However, nephrotic syndrome relapsed frequently with background eosinophilia and high serum IgE. This study reviewed the clinical features of 10 Japanese patients with Kimura disease associated with proteinuria.