A Case of Hepatitis B Virus Related Membranous Glomerulonephritis That Well Responsed to Low Dose Corticosteroid Therapy

©Copyright 2014 by Bezmialem Vakif University Available online at www.bezmialemscience.org ©Telif Hakki 2014 Bezmialem Vakif Universitesi Makale metnine www.bezmialemscience.org web sayfasindan ulasilabilir. Glomerulonephritis (GN) is a common extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, affecting approximately 20% of patients from the Middle East and Far East Asia, where HBV infection is prevalent (1) Recent data show that 30% of patients with HBV-related GN eventually progress to renal failure (2). The major pathogenetic mechanism of HBV-related GN is immune complex deposits in the kidney, leading to destruction of the epithelial side of the glomerular basement membrane and eventually resulting in protein loss into the tubules. Although treatment strategies of HBV and membranous nephropathy are well established, there is still a lack of available data in patients who not respond well to primary intervention or who have failed to sustain the response.