Concurrent minimal change nephrotic syndrome and type 1 diabetes mellitus in an adult Japanese woman: a case report

Background: Concurrent type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and idiopathic nephrotic syndrome is rare, and most previously reported cases were in children. We report the case of an adult woman who developed T1DM and minimal change nephrotic syndrome (MCNS) nearly simultaneously.

Case presentation: A 24-year-old woman had first presented to another hospital with nausea, vomiting, and fatigue. She was diagnosed with diabetic ketoacidosis and T1DM on the basis of her hyperglycemia, ketoacidosis, and positive anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody test result. Rapid infusion of normal saline and insulin administration alleviated hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis. Two weeks after admission, however, she developed nephrotic syndrome (NS) with rapidly decreasing urine volume. She was referred to our hospital with a diagnosis of acute kidney injury. Although she temporarily required dialysis and high doses of insulin, within 1 month NS and acute kidney injury had been alleviated by oral prednisolone and low-density lipoprotein apheresis. Renal biopsy showed minor glomerular abnormalities without diabetic nephropathy, so we diagnosed her with MCNS. Seven weeks after the discharge, NS relapsed, and cyclosporine was added to prednisolone. However, NS relapsed twice within the next 4 months, so we started her on rituximab. At 6 months after initiating rituximab therapy, she remained in complete remission. Her mother also had T1DM but not MCNS. The patient had HLA-DRB1*09:01/09:01, DQB1*03:03/03:03, and her mother had HLA-DRB1*04:05/09:01, DQB1*03:03/04:01.

Conclusions: Concurrent T1DM and MCNS is rare and their coexistence might be coincidental. Alternatively, they might have been caused by an underlying, unidentified genetic predisposition. Previous reports and our patient's findings suggest that specific HLA alleles and haplotypes or a Th1/Th2 imbalance might be associated with T1DM and MCNS that occurred nearly simultaneously.

Keywords: Genetic factors; Minimal change nephrotic syndrome; Steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome; Type 1 diabetes mellitus.