Hepatitis C as a potential cause of IgA nephropathy.

This is a case report of a 16-year-old boy presenting with a history of oliguria and anasarca. Workup revealed marked proteinuria to the tune of 8 g/day. He was subsequently found to be hepatitis C positive. Genotype was hepatitis C virus type 6. Renal biopsy revealed mesangioproliferative glomerulonephritis with IgA deposits consistent with IgA nephropathy (IgAN). Initiation of oral ribavirin and pegylated interferon caused a marked reduction in proteinuria after 8 weeks of treatment. It was postulated that hepatitis C manifested as IgAN. This case report thus sheds light on the possibility of an association between hepatitis C and IgAN.