Case Report: Apparent Progression of Acute Glomerulonephritis to Dense Deposit Disease

One week after the diagnosis of meningococcal meningitis, an 8-year-old boy presented with acute renal failure and hypocomplementemia. A renal biopsy showed "postinfectious glomerulonephritis" and acute tubular necrosis. Hematuria, proteinuria, and low complement levels persisted, and 2 years later a follow-up renal biopsy revealed dense deposit disease. The apparent progression of postinfectious glomerulonephritis to dense deposit disease as observed in this patient has not been previously described. Keywords acute glomerulonephritis, dense deposit disease, electron microscopy, immune complex mediated glomerulonephritis, membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis type II, meningococcemia