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Case Reports
. 2024 Jan 10;16(1):e52029.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.52029. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Nephrotic Syndrome Associated With Heavy Metals Exposure: A Case Report and Literature Review

Petros Kalogeropoulos  1 , Aggeliki Sardeli  1 , George Liapis  2 , Panagiotis Giannakopoulos  1 , Sophia Lionaki  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Nephrotic Syndrome Associated With Heavy Metals Exposure: A Case Report and Literature Review

Petros Kalogeropoulos et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Heavy metals are found in many products used in everyday life. In addition, many workers are exposed to higher concentrations of such metals in their work environment. Many of these metals may cause toxic effects in humans and there are many reports relating them to the occurrence of kidney disorders such as nephrotic syndrome. In this study, we present a case of a 38-year-old woman with nephrotic syndrome suspected to be related to heavy metal toxicity, after ruling out all other secondary causes. At the same time, she proved refractory to multiple therapies. Furthermore, a related literature review regarding the occurrence of nephrotic syndrome in patients with heavy metal exposure is presented with emphasis on the importance of considering them as a secondary cause, especially in cases that appear resistant to treatment.

Keywords: environmental exposure; lead; nephrotic syndrome; steroid-resistant; toxicity.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Active tubulointerstitial inflammation with areas of tubulitis, as well as moderate interstitial fibrosis and tubular atrophy (H&E x100).
H&E, hematoxylin and eosin
Figure 2
Figure 2. Arteriolohyalinosis in the vascular pole of a glomerulus (H&E x400).
H&E, hematoxylin and eosin
Figure 3
Figure 3. Diffuse foot processes effacement with microvilli transformation; no electron dense deposits were found (EM, uranyl acetate x3500).
EM, electron microscopy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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