We report the case of a 32-year-old male diagnosed with TSC2/PKD1 contiguous gene syndrome, presenting with tuberous sclerosis (TS) and autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease simultaneously. He progressed to end-stage renal disease and received a kidney transplant at the age of 12. The native kidneys presented angiomyolipomas (AML), which are common benign tumours in patients with TS. Seventeen years after transplantation, he presented with abdominal pain, anaemia and a retroperitoneal haematoma, the latter caused by renal AML bleeding. Selective embolisation was performed. Our patient could have benefited from the administration of mTOR inhibitors at transplant. This therapy is immunosuppressive and reduces the size of benign tumours in TS as well as the risk of rupture and bleeding. This patient did not receive mTOR inhibitors at the time of the transplant because the relationship between mTOR inhibitors and TS was unknown at that time. This case confirms the persistent risk of renal AML bleeding for both transplanted patients and patients on dialysis. As a result, we would recommend routine check-ups of native kidneys and nephrectomy assessment.
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is associated with very high mortality rates, mainly of cardiovascular origin. The retention of phosphate (P) and increased fibroblast growth factor-23 levels are common, even at early stages of CKD, due to disturbances in normal P homeostasis. Later, hyperphosphatemia appears, which has also been strongly associated with high mortality rates linked to P-mediated cardiovascular and procalcifying effects. Treatment guidelines for these patients continue to be poorly implemented, at least partially due to the lack of adherence to a P-restricted diet and P-binder therapy. Calcium-free P binders, such as lanthanum carbonate, have been associated with a decreased progression of vascular calcification, rendering them an important therapeutic alternative for these high cardiovascular risk CKD patients. Lanthanum carbonate has typically been available as chewable tablets, and the new presentation as an oral powder may provide a useful alternative in the therapeutic armamentarium. This powder is a tasteless, odorless, and colorless semisolid compound miscible with food. In a recent study in healthy individuals, the safety and efficacy of this novel form were evaluated, and it was concluded that it is well tolerated and pharmacodynamically equivalent to the chewable form. In the long run, individualization of preferences and treatments seems an achievable goal prior to final demonstration of improvements in hard outcomes in wide clinical trials in CKD patients.
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