Abstract
Acute glomerulonephritis (AGN) usually develops after the contraction of an infectious disease, including group A streptococcal infections. Typical patients present with a triad of signs and symptoms: edema, hypertension and hematuria. When evidence of a recent streptococcal infection and hypocomplementemia are present, a diagnosis of AGN is usually made and a renal biopsy is not ordinarily indicated. However, children with AGN have been reported to present with severe systemic manifestations of the disease but without significant urinary abnormalities. This type of AGN is called AGN with minimal urinary abnormalities. We report here an 11 year old boy who presented with abdominal pain, dyspnea, edema, and hypertension without urinary abnormalities. A renal biopsy was performed, and the boy was diagnosed as having AGN with minimal urinary abnormalities. Here, we describe his clinical course and the details of the renal histological findings. A differential diagnosis of edema and hypertension without urinary abnormalities should include AGN, and the measurement of serum complement activity is a useful screening test. A renal biopsy is of diagnostic significance and is justifiable for the diagnosis of AGN with minimal urinary abnormalities.
