GLOMERULONEPHRITIS AND LYMPHOMA - MOSTLY MEN WITH LOW-GRADE LYMPHOMA WITH VARIOUS FORMS OF GLOMERULONEPHRITIS ARE AFFECTED

Background: The association of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma with different t ypes of glomerulonephritis is well-known for many years. Whereas in Ho dgkin's disease minimal change glomerulonephritis is mainly observed, in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma various forms of glomerulonephritis are foun d. Patients and Results: We describe 3 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma , which were associated with glomerulonephritis. Two cases of glomerul onephritis showed nephrotic syndromes, which improved by medicinal tre atment. In 2 cases glomerulonephritis and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma devel oped simultaneously. In a third lymphoma was followed by glomeruloneph ritis after 3 years. Conclusion: Although the pathogenetic relationshi p between non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and glomerulonephritis is not fully u nderstood, the high number of reported cases yield interdependence. Ly mphoma associated glomerulonephritis is found more of then in men than in women. Low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphomas - especially chronic lymp hatic leukemias - seem to develop glomerulonephritis more frequently t han high-grade. The majority of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma do not show any predisposition to a special type of glomerulonephritis, only in cutan eous lymphoma IgA-nephropathy predominates.