Decreased Proteinuria following Liver Transplantation in a Patient with Type C Liver Cirrhosis Complicated with Nephrotic Syndrome

Takashi Kato, Yoshinobu Sato, Satoshi Yamamoto, Toshiyuki Takeishi,, Kenichiro Hirano, Takashi Kobayashi, Yoshiaki Hara, Takaoki Watanabe, Yoshio Shirai and Katsuyoshi Hatakeyama

Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences

Type C liver cirrhosis is often associated with nephrotic syndrome secondary to membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Liver transplantation in such patients may worsen viremia and cause renal dysfunction due to the use of immunosuppressive drugs. We report a patient whose proteinuria decreased after liver transplantation. A 49-year-old man followed up for a diagnosis of chronic hepatitis C from 1984 was diagnosed in 1999 with nephrotic syndrome. We conducted a living related liver transplantation on August 21, 2001. Intraoperative renal biopsy showed the histology to be membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis. Preoperative proteinuria was 2-11 g/day, varied postoperatively from 6 to 10 g/day, gradually decreasing to 1-2 g/day. One cause of this reduction may be that membronoproliferative glomerulonephritis was alleviated by immunosuppression. Giver that renal function recovered after the recovery of liver function, hepatorenal syndrome alleviation is thought to have had a significant influence.

Key words
liver transplantation, nephrotic syndrome, hepatitis C virus

Reprint requests
Takashi Kato Division of Digestive and General Surgery, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences
1-757 Asahimachidori, Niigata, 951-8510 JAPAN

Accepted
November 26, 2003

To read the PDF file you will need Abobe Reader installed on your computer.