Hepatitis C associated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis treated with directly acting antivirals for hepatitis C

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection affects kidneys with different histopathological patterns on kidney biopsy, which commonly include membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis (MPGN) pattern with mixed cryoglobulinemia (CG), thrombotic microangiopathy, membranous nephropathy and small to medium vessel vasculitis. Type 1 MPGN associated with type II mixed CG is the most common glomerulopathy associated with hepatitis C infection. Treatment of these glomerulopathies and cryoglobulinemic renal disease associated with HCV infection includes antiviral therapy for HCV, B-cell depletion therapy for prevention of immune complexes and cryoglobulins or nonspecific immunosuppressive therapy. We describe a patient who presented to us with HCV associated MPGN type 1 with cryogloblinemia and detectable HCV RNA, who recovered completely with directly acting antiviral agents (DAA) alone without immunosuppression.