Background: IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is the most frequent type of primary glomerulonephritis since the first type was described more than four decades ago. It is the prevalent cause of primary glomerular disease that causes end-stage renal disease. In most patients with IgAN, hematuria is the most common reported symptom, particularly in those with a preceding upper respiratory tract infection. Although the pathogenesis of IgAN is usually multifactorial, autoimmune complex formation and inflammatory processes are the most widely recognized pathogenic mechanisms. Multiple approaches have been trialed as a therapy for IgAN, including tonsillectomy, steroids, other immune-suppressive therapy in different regimens, and kidney transplantation. Aim and method: PubMed, Google, Google Scholar, Scopus, and EMBASE were searched by the authors using different texts, keywords, and phrases. A non-systemic clinical review is intended to review the available data and clinical updates about the possible mechanism(s) of IgAN pathogenesis and treatments. Conclusion: IgAN has a heterogeneous pattern worldwide, making it difficult to understand its pathogenesis and treatment. Proteinuria is the best guide to follow up on the IgAN progression and treatment response. Steroids are the cornerstone of IgAN therapy; however, other immune-suppressive and immune-modulative agents are used with a variable response rate. Kidney transplantation is highly advisable for IgAN patients, although the recurrence rate is high. Finally, IgAN management requires collaborative work between patients and their treating physicians for safe long-term outcomes.
24 October 2020 in American Journal of Case Reports
BACKGROUND:COVID-19 is a newly emerging disease that is not yet fully understood. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus that is easily transmitted from human to human through the respiratory route. Usually, it presents with fever, headache, fatigue accompanied by respiratory symptoms like cough and dyspnea, and other systemic involvements. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a common lymphoproliferative neoplasm characterized by absolute lymphocytosis and demonstration of clonality unlike other causes of lymphocytosis. Patients with CLL are considered immunocompromised because of impaired humoral immunity (mainly) and cellular immunity. Therefore, they are vulnerable to various infections including COVID-19. Little is known about the COVID-19 infection when it unmasks CLL. CASE REPORT:A 49-year-old man with no significant previous illnesses, and an unremarkable family history, presented with a moderate COVID-19 infection. He initially presented to the emergency department with fever and mild shortness of breath. A complete blood count showed a high white blood cell count with absolute lymphocytosis. Flow cytometry revealed the clonality of the lymphocytes confirming the diagnosis of CLL. Despite having CLL, he developed a moderate COVID-19 infection and recovered in a few days. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of CLL, which presented with a COVID-19 infection as the initial presentation. CONCLUSIONS:Lymphocytosis is an unexpected finding in patients diagnosed with COVID-19 infection and the elevated lymphocytes may be indicative of other conditions. Secondary causes of lymphocytosis like malignancy or other infections should be considered in these cases.
3 September 2020 in American Journal of Case Reports
Unusual clinical course Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a newly emerging disease that is still not fully characterized. It is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), a novel virus that can be transmitted easily from human to human mainly by the respiratory route. Currently, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19 or a vaccine for prevention. The disease has various degrees of severity. It often presents with non-specific symptoms such as fever, headache, and fatigue, accompanied by respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough and dyspnea) and other systemic involvement. Severe disease is associated with hemophagocytic syndrome and cytokine storm due to altered immune response. Patients with severe disease are more likely to have increased liver enzymes. The disease can affect the liver through various mechanisms. We report an unusual case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a 24-year-old man with no previous medical illness, who presented with mild respiratory involvement. He had no serious lung injury during the disease course. However, he experienced acute fulminant hepatitis B infection and cytokine release syndrome that led to multiorgan failure and death. It is uncommon for SARS-CoV-2 infection with mild respiratory symptoms to result in severe systemic disease and organ failure. We report an unusual case of acute hepatitis B infection with concomitant SARS-CoV-2 leading to fulminant hepatitis, multiorgan failure, and death.
A novel rapid spreading and changing virus called SARS-CoV-2 appeared in Wuhan city in December 2019. It was announced by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a pandemic disease in March 2020. It commonly presents with respiratory symptoms; however, it may be asymptomatic. Electrolyte abnormalities are not uncommon features of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Hyponatremia is one of these electrolyte disturbances among SARS-CoV-2 patients, and it may produce symptoms such as weakness and seizure as the initial presenting symptoms. The underlying mechanism(s) of hyponatremia due to SARS-CoV-2 infection is (are) not established. The aim of this review is to evaluate the possible mechanism of hyponatremia in patients with COVID-19. Understanding and categorizing the hyponatremia in these patients will lead to better treatment and correction of the hyponatremia. A review of the literature between December 2019 and March 2022 was conducted searching for the possible reported mechanism(s) of hyponatremia in SARS-CoV-2. Although SIADH is the commonly reported cause of hyponatremia in SARS-CoV-2 infection, other causes such as diarrhea, vomiting, and kidney salt loss must be considered before SIADH.
Severe COVID‐19 infection is associated with significant stress and marked immune response that can affect many organs and precipitate DKA, pancreatitis, and acute renal injury, which might be permanent.