Background: Anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) is a systemic disease leading to renal complications of pauci-immune focal and segmental necrotizing crescentic glomerulonephritis (PI-NCGN).
Case description: We present a 57-year-old female patient with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, multiple systemic infections [candidiasis and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)], severe weight loss, arthralgia, positive myeloperoxidase ANCA, acute deterioration of cardiac function and NCGN with heavy deposition of immunoglobulin (Ig) A and complement 3 (C3) in kidney biopsy. After two months of follow-up and appropriate treatments [methylprednisolone (60 mg/day), cyclophosphamide (15 mg/kg)], our patient recovered from multiple life-threatening infections, including candidiasis treated by fluconazole and SARS-CoV-2 treated by methylprednisolone and acute cardiac failure. In addition, she was saved from dialysis despite all poor prognostic factors.
Conclusion: AAV might lead to immune complex deposition in kidneys due to different pathogenetic mechanisms like complement activation and immune complex formation, apart from losing tolerance to neutrophil proteins. HIPPOKRATIA 2022, 26 (2):86-88.
Keywords: Acute kidney injury; anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic; antibodies; heart failure; immunoglobulin A.
Copyright 2022, Hippokratio General Hospital of Thessaloniki.