Nephropathy in patients with mixed connective tissue disease

The first report of mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) was described that nephropathy was rare complication of the patients with MCTD. Recently, some authors reported that the nephropathy was 25-50% of patients with MCTD. This report investigated the histopathological findings of patients with MCTD. This study was conducted on 17 patients associated with MCTD. In clinical features, there were six of nephrotic syndrome and two of hematuria and proteinuria. They were normal renal function, expect for one case (case MF). In pathological findings, there were four of membranous nephropathy, two of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, including one of IgA nephropathy, and 11 of minor glomerular abnormality. Three cases translated to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) during follow-up period (1 to 5 years). They had hypocomplementemia and membranous nephropathy in common. In conclusion, the nephropathy is not rare complication in patients with MCTD. Sex of the 17 patients (35.3%) with MCTD have nephropathy. MCTD cases with immune-complex glomerulonephritis are likely to transit from MCTD to SLE.