Membranous nephritis in infantile systemic lupus erythematosus associated with chromosomal abnormalities

A white female infant who developed a sudden onset of gross hematuria and proteinuria at 3 months of age was referred for evaluation of nephrotic syndrome at 6 months. Laboratory investigations revealed severe Coomb's negative hemolytic anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, hypocomplementemia and elevated anti-nuclear antibody titer and DNA antibodies. Renal biopsy showed a membranous type of morphology. She was also found to have chromosome abnormalities. She had an eventual favorable response to steroid therapy. Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is rarely seen in young infants and the renal expression of the disease found in our case has never been reported.