A 25 year old woman is referred with a 6 month history of fatigue, joint pain, pleuritic chest pain and facial rash. Three months ago at another hospital she was found to be unwell with a Creatinine of 500 micromol/l, Hb 8.2 g/dl, and urinalysis showed 3+ protein, 3+ blood. She was treated with some tablets (identity unknown) and a subsequent creatinine was 200 and Hb rose to 12 g/dl. Now she is unwell again.
On examination she has a rash around her nose and on her cheeks. She is febrile, 38.2C, and has mild swelling of her left and right MCPJ. She is slim and does not look Cushingoid. BP 155/87. There is no oedema and examination of chest, cardiovascular system and abdomen are normal. She has a platelet count of 50 and Hb 6.2g/dl, Creatinine 430 micromol/l, and urinalysis continues to show 3+ for both protein and blood.
Three questions:
- What is the likely underlying diagnosis?
- What other urgent (not too complicated) test results are important?
- How would you treat the underlying disease given that a renal biopsy is not possible?
Thanks to Dr Gavin Dreyer for this case.
What the experts said
Diagnosis: Lupus seems the most likely underlying diagnosis (nature of the rash, renal disease).
Tests (1) She had a high level of Malaria falciparum parasitaemia. (2) She was HIV negative in a rapid antigen test. Neither infection would do well with immunosuppressive therapy for lupus. The level of HIV positivity in the region is high, but in sick patients, in particular medical inpatients, it is much higher (up to 80%).
Treatment Ideal initial treatment for Falciparum malaria according to WHO should be Artemisinin combination therapy, but it may not be available or affordable, so Quinine is still commonly used. She responded to treatment and her Hb rose.
Management beyond this point is difficult, but almost certainly she has aggressive inflammatory disease in view of the creatinine changes, and will need disease-modifying treatment for her lupus. The most available and affordable and effective treatment is cyclophosphamide. Some might argue for MMF in a young woman with a less acute onset, but it is less effective and slower, and much more expensive. Other lupus-modifying drugs are available in other settings.
Other diagnostic possibilities? Classic HIV nephropathy usually has a more extreme nephrotic phase. Of course many other renal pathologies can occur in HIV infection. With this complex background, you would seek a renal biopsy if possible, but you may have to make your decisions without.
Further info
Last Updated on February 2, 2025 by admin
A 25 year old woman is referred with a 6 month history of fatigue, joint pain, pleuritic chest pain and facial rash. Three months ago at another hospital she was found to be unwell with a Creatinine of 500 micromol/l, Hb 8.2 g/dl, and urinalysis showed 3+ protein, 3+ blood. She was treated with some tablets (identity unknown) and a subsequent creatinine was 200 and Hb rose to 12 g/dl. Now she is unwell again.