Idiopathic membranous nephropathy in children: A case report

BACKGROUND: Minimal change disease is a common cause of nephrotic syndrome (NS) in children and has a good prognosis. Idiopathic membranous nephropathy (IMN), a rare cause of NS in children, may progress to chronic kidney disease. However, there is little data on how to evaluate and treat IMN in children. CASE SUMMARY: In this article, we report the case of a 7-year-old boy with steroid-resistant NS. After cyclophosphamide pulse therapy combined with oral prednisone, the urinary protein results remained positive. Renal biopsy confirmed the pathological diagnosis of stage II MN, with positivity for phospholipase A(2) receptor. Other immunological and infectious diseases relevant to secondary MN were ruled out by laboratory tests. Subsequently, tacrolimus plus prednisone was administered, and the therapeutic effect was satisfactory. CONCLUSION: IMN is rare in children. The main clinical manifestation is NS. The diagnosis depends on renal biopsy. There is little evidence-based data on the treatment of IMN in children. Therefore, large-sample randomized controlled trials need to be performed. Individualized treatment should be used to improve the prognosis of the disease.