C1q nephropathy in a patient with Gitelman syndrome

Bartter syndrome can manifest in three different forms and is rarely concomitant with glomerular nephropathies. However, this association is more frequently observed in children. We report the case of a 50-year-old woman with Gitelman syndrome for the past 30 years who also had a nephrotic syndrome of recent appearance. Her renal biopsy revealed hyperplasia of the juxtaglomerular apparatus and mesangial deposits of C1q, with no clinical or serological evidence of systemic erythematous lupus. We have not found any reports of instances of association of Gitelman syndrome and nephrotic syndrome arising from C1q nephropathy in adult patients. Our case suggests the possible existence of an association between hypokalaemic tubular nephropathies and glomerular nephropathies that may cause nephrotic syndrome.