Celiac Disease and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis: Is It a Fortuity Finding?

Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine that occurs in genetically predisposed people of all ages and associated with an increased risk of developing other autoimmune conditions including type 1 diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease, Sjogren’s syndrome and IgA nephropathy; nonetheless, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) collapsing variant was not reported before as one of glomerulonephritis associated with celiac disease. We report a case of nephrotic syndrome due to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis collapsing variant in a patient with CD. An 18-year-old male patient presented with progressive generalized body swelling for 1 month. He was diagnosed with CD when proven by small bowel biopsy and FSGS collapsing type by renal biopsy. Patient was treated with gluten-free diet and immunosuppressive therapy. The association between CD and nephrotic syndrome is extremely rare. To the best of our knowledge, an association of CD with FSGS has been reported only in one case. Our extensive literature review revealed no reported cases stating association of CD and appearances of collapsing variant of FSGS. The query arises whether there is a rare association between CD and FSGS, or this is a fortuity finding? World J Nephrol Urol. 2015;4(4):264-266 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/wjnu242w