Retinal manifestations in patients with complement-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis

Abstract

Complement-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis is a rare progressive glomerular disease. In some patients it can be associated with retinal lesions. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess a case series with this diagnosis in our hospital. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 8 patients diagnosed with complement-mediated membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Funduscopy, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Swept Source domain OCT angiography were performed. Only 1 of the 8 patients showed drusen-like deposits that were located under the retinal pigment epithelium in the OCT, with the presence of associated choroidal neovascularization being ruled out in OCT angiography. Therefore, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis may produce retinal alterations with drusen or retinal pigment epithelium detachment, and requires an appropriate differential diagnosis to be made with age-related macular degeneration. The follow-up of these patients is important in order to detect vision-threatening complications.

Keywords: Depósitos drusenoides; Desprendimiento del epitelio pigmentario; Drusen-like deposits; Glomerulonefritis membranoproliferativa; Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis; Optical coherence tomography; Retinal pigment epithelium detachment; Tomografía de coherencia óptica.