LEPROSY-ASSOCIATED RENAL-DISEASE - CASE-REPORT AND REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

Leprosy is an infectious disease the principal clinical manifestations of which are anesthetic skin lesions and the development of periphera l neuropathy. The most common renal manifestation in leprosy patients is glomerulonephritis. Both immunofluorescent and electron microscopic studies suggest that the varied glomerular lesions found in these pat ients are immune complex mediated. Other renal lesions that have been described include amyloidosis, tubulointerstitial disease, acute renal failure, and functional defects in the absence of identifiable histol ogic abnormalities. In this report, a patient is described who develop ed the clinical syndrome of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis. Th e renal biopsy showed a diffuse endocapillary proliferative process wi th electron-dense deposits in the glomerular subendothelial and subepi thelial spaces. Organisms consistent with Mycobacterium leprae were id entified within several of the glomeruli.