Nephropathy in angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy

Two elderly men who had fulminating systemic illnesses typical of angioimmunoblastic lymphadenopathy died in acute oliguric renal failure. In both, glomerular lesions were present. In one patient mild diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis associated with necrotizing arteritis was seen, and in the other, minimal change was observed by light microscopy. In both, immunoglobulin-containing dense deposits within glomeruli were observed by fluorescence and electron microscopy, suggesting that the renal disease was mediated, at least partly, by deposition of immunoglobulin.