Cryoglobulinemia and immune-mediated glomerulonephritis in association with hairy cell leukemia

The nephrotic syndrome in association with hairy cell leukemia is typically seen in the setting of amyloidosis. This report describes a patient with the nephrotic syndrome and hairy cell leukemia in whom cryoglobulinemia and an immune-mediated glomerulonephritis were seen. While hairy cells have the capacity for immunoglobulin production, we were unable to demonstrate a teleological link between these cells and the renal lesion. In contrast, there is speculative evidence to suggest that indolent infections may have played a causative role in cryoglobulin production and the subsequent immune-mediated glomerulonephritis.