Gold nephropathy

Pathology. 1977 Oct;9(4):281-8. doi: 10.3109/00313027709094448.

Abstract

Nephropathy with proteinuria is an occasional complication of gold therapy for rheumatoid arthritis and is considered to be due to an immune hypersensitivity reaction. Three patients are described in whom the structural changes typical of gold nephropathy were demonstrated by electron microscopy of renal biopsies. There was early membranous glomerular nephropathy with multiple sub-epithelial deposits of immune complexes. In one case these were shown by immunofluorescence to contain IgG and complement. Proximal tubules contained characteristic dense granular intracytoplasmic gold inclusions, best demonstrated by electron microscopy of unstained sections.

MeSH terms

  • Antigen-Antibody Complex
  • Arthritis, Rheumatoid / drug therapy
  • Drug Hypersensitivity / etiology
  • Drug Hypersensitivity / immunology
  • Drug Hypersensitivity / pathology*
  • Epithelium / ultrastructure
  • Gold Sodium Thiomalate / adverse effects*
  • Gold Sodium Thiomalate / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Inclusion Bodies / ultrastructure
  • Kidney Diseases / etiology
  • Kidney Diseases / immunology
  • Kidney Diseases / pathology*
  • Kidney Glomerulus / immunology
  • Kidney Glomerulus / pathology

Substances

  • Antigen-Antibody Complex
  • Gold Sodium Thiomalate