Uraemia--a rare presentation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Kidney involvement by Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is very common microscopically but rarely a cause of uraemia even when the parenchymatous involvement is considerable. Renal failure in cases of lymphoma is secondary to ureteral obstruction, hypercalcaemia, urate nephropathy, gammopathy or immunologically mediated nephrosis. This is a case where the patient presented to the ophthalmic O.P.D. with blurring of vision and admitted with full blown uraemia. He could not be saved and at autopsy, a gastrointestinal lymphoma was found in the caecum. His uraemia was due to massive parenchymatous involvement of the kidney, there being no ureteral obstruction, hypercalcaemia, urate or immunologically mediated nephropathy. Very few cases are reported in literature with such a presentation.