A Case of Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Crescentic Glomerulonephritis in a Female Renal Allograft Recipient with Unknown Native Disease: Retrospective Molecular Confirmation of Alport Disease

Abstract

Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane (anti-GBM) crescentic glomerulonephritis developing in an allograft is a rare phenomenon. A patient with Alport syndrome receiving a renal transplant is at risk of developing anti-GBM glomerulonephritis, due to the absence of normal COL4α3, COL4α4 and COL4α5 trimer of the collagen network. Two unique challenges with planning kidney transplant in such a patient include- ideal donor selection; and risk of developing anti-GBM nephritis. We report a case of post-transplant anti-GBM crescentic glomerulonephritis in a female recipient with unknown native kidney disease who was diagnosed with Alport disease when she presented with hematuria and proteinuria nearly 2 years postrenal transplant. Allograft outcome in our case was unfavourable, patient reaching end-stage kidney disease within 6-month of diagnosis. The patient remains on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis and currently active on the deceased donor transplant waiting list.