Choi Heejung, Yim Hyunee, Park Inwhee
Department of Nephrology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Department of Pathology, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea.
Nephrology (Carlton). 2025 Jan;30(1):e14419. doi: 10.1111/nep.14419.
We present a unique case of concurrent Fabry disease (FD) and IgA nephropathy (IgAN) in a 27-year-old female with a 10-year history of Crohn's disease (CD). The patient presented to the nephrology clinic with microscopic haematuria and proteinuria on routine tests. A kidney biopsy revealed mesangial matrix widening, mesangial cell proliferation, and podocyte enlargement with prominent lacy and clear cytoplasm, as observed with haematoxylin and eosin staining. Immunofluorescence staining demonstrated diffuse immunoglobulin A deposits in the mesangium. Electron microscopy identified myelin-like figures in the cytoplasm of podocytes and electron-dense deposits in the mesangium, confirming IgAN and suggesting FD. Subsequent testing showed low alpha-galactosidase A (α-gal) enzyme activity in the patient's white blood cells, confirming the FD diagnosis. Enzyme replacement therapy was initiated following the diagnosis. To our knowledge, this is the first reported case of the coexistence of FD, IgAN, and CD in a single patient. This case highlights the importance of considering FD in patients with proteinuria, emphasising the need for comprehensive diagnostic evaluations in complex cases.
我们报告了一例独特的病例,一名27岁女性同时患有法布里病(FD)和IgA肾病(IgAN),且有10年克罗恩病(CD)病史。该患者在肾病门诊进行常规检查时发现镜下血尿和蛋白尿。肾活检显示,苏木精-伊红染色观察到系膜基质增宽、系膜细胞增殖以及足细胞增大,伴有明显的花边状和透明细胞质。免疫荧光染色显示系膜中有弥漫性免疫球蛋白A沉积。电子显微镜检查在足细胞胞质中发现髓鞘样结构,系膜中有电子致密沉积物,确诊为IgAN并提示FD。随后的检测显示患者白细胞中α-半乳糖苷酶A(α-gal)酶活性降低,确诊为FD。确诊后开始进行酶替代治疗。据我们所知,这是首例报道的单一患者同时存在FD、IgAN和CD的病例。该病例突出了在蛋白尿患者中考虑FD的重要性,强调了在复杂病例中进行全面诊断评估的必要性。