C7 deficiency and persistent haematuria

A 14-year-old boy had persistent haematuria along with complete C7 deficiency. No significant changes in glomeruli and tubules were found in a renal biopsy specimen by light microscopy and immunofluorescence gave negative results for immune deposits. Electron microscopic examination demonstrated an attenuation of the glomerular capillary basement membrane without lamination and a diagnosis of thin basement membrane disease was made. It would be difficult to conclude that patients with C7 deficiency were predisposed to develop glomerulonephritis caused by immunologic aberrations. A family study failed to provide evidence of an association of C7 deficiency and thin basement membrane disease.