J Korean Rheum Assoc.  2005 Sep;12(3):222-226.

A Case of Behcet's Disease with Thin Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease

• Kang MS
• Kim SK
• Lee WA
• Chang HK

Abstract

Behcet's Disease (BD) is a chronic inflammatory disorder characterized by vasculitis of unknown cause, involving multiple organs. In the past years, renal involvement has not been regarded as a feature of BD. However, renal lesions in BD, although uncommon, have increasingly been recognized in recent years. Five categories of renal lesions associated with BD have been identified, including glomerulonephritis, amyloidosis, renal vascular involvement, interstitial nephritis, and other problems, such as complications of drug therapy or abnormalities of the genitourinary tract. On the other hand, regional differences in the disease expression of BD are well appreciated. Renal lesions accompanied by BD have rarely been reported in Korea, although it have been described occasionally in the Middle Eastern countries. Hereby, we described a 46-year-old female patient who had BD with persistent hematuria and proteinuria, whose renal biopsy specimens were consistent with thin glomerular basement membrane disease. Interestingly, some portions of her glomerular capillary walls were filled with fuchsinophilic fibrin-like materials.

Keyword

Behcet's Disease; Hematuria; Basement membrane

MeSH Terms

Amyloidosis
Basement Membrane
Biopsy
Capillaries
Drug Therapy
Female
Glomerular Basement Membrane*
Glomerulonephritis
Hand
Hematuria
Humans
Korea
Middle Aged
Nephritis, Interstitial
Proteinuria
Vasculitis