THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN HENOCH-SCHONLEIN SYNDROME AND RENAL AMYLOIDOSIS - A PROPOSAL OF A PATHOGENIC MECHANISM

The clinicopathological analysis of 250 pediatric cases that had been tissue-diagnosed with renal amyloidosis revealed three patients associ ated with Henoch-Schonlein syndrome (HSS). The renal biopsies revealed AA-type amyloidosis in all three cases. Case 2 displayed focal and se gmental proliferative glomerulonephritis in the same renal biopsy. No evidence of well-known diseases and / or conditions for the developmen t of AA-type amyloidosis except for familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) existed in these particular cases. On the other hand, the frequency o f the association between FMF and HSS has been reported extensively in the literature; thus, common etiological factors can be considered. T he mechanism involved in amyloid deposition in these cases may be rela ted to HSS-associated chronic antigenemia and / or FMF through a mecha nism that is, to date, unknown. Further studies are needed to clarify this causal relationship.