Nephrotic syndrome preceding Hodgkin's lymphoma by 13 months

This report documents the occurrence of a minimal change nephrotic syndrome in a patient antedating the recognition of Hodgkin's lymphoma. An 18-year-old woman presented with the clinical symptoms of nephrotic syndrome and was started on prednisolone with partial response. 13 months after the diagnosis was made, she presented with weight loss and right upper abdominal pain for two months. Kidney biopsy revealed minimal change glomerulonephritis. She subsequently developed cervical lymphadenopathy, which on excision biopsy report, turned out to be Hodgkin's disease, nodular sclerosing type. Hodgkin's lymphoma clinical stage IIIB was diagnosed. A review of literature yielded altogether three cases in which the onset of nephrotic syndrome preceded the diagnosis of Hodgkin's lymphoma by more than 12 months.