A case of heavy chain deposition disease complicated by acquired angioedema

Heavy Chain Deposition Disease (HCDD) is rare, and presents with renal failure, proteinuria, hematuria, hypertension, and often hypocomplimenteniemia [1-3]. HCDD may mimic the pathology of immune complex, crescenteric glomerulonephritis, with isolated heavy chain deposits along mesangial, glomerular, and tubular Basement Membranes (BMs), without associated light chains [4]. The predominant heavy chain subtype is gamma. Rare cases of alpha and mu subtypes have also been reported [4,5]. Immunofluorescence for heavy chains alone is diagnostic. Renal pathology includes mesangial matrix expansion, hypercellularity, and nodular sclerosis resembling diabetic glomerulosclerosis. Fewer than 40 cases have been reported. We report a case of HCDD with the novel complication of acquired angioedema.