Idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis and differential diagnosis

Abstract

Introduction: Idiopathic nodular glomerulosclerosis (ING) is a condition that has a vasculopathic glomerular histological pattern. Case presentation: The authors present the case of a 44-year-old Hispanic smoker female with hypertension and peripheral arterial disease who presented nephrotic syndrome for 2 weeks. The patient was diagnosed with ING by percutaneous renal biopsy results, which showed global nodular mesangial matrix expansion, with linear staining accentuation of glomerular and tubular basement membrane for Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and albumin on immunofluorescence. Conclusions: ING is a rare disease with a poor renal prognosis and wide diagnostic approach; we highlight the importance of analyzing every piece of detail together to reach a definitive diagnosis.