Membranous Nephropathy Secondary to Syphilis

Membranous nephropathy (MN) is one of the most common causes of nephrotic syndrome in the adult population. Although the majority of the cases of MN are without any inciting event, about a third are caused or associated with immune diseases, infectious diseases, and drugs and toxins. There have been very few cases of association of syphilis and MN. We describe this rare infectious cause of MN in a 41-year-old patient who presented with nephrotic syndrome. The patient was diagnosed with secondary syphilis. He was treated successfully with complete resolution of his nephrotic picture. A thorough clinical history and physical examination which resulted in a suspicion for sexually transmitted disease led us to the successful diagnosis and treatment of this rare condition.