We experienced a case of secondary renal amyloidosis diagnosed by renal biopsy in a patient who had been diagnosed as RA two years ago. A 62-year old man was admitted to neurology departement because of right hemiplegia. During conservative care at neurology department, he was consulted to us because of aggravated generalized edema and proteinuria. He was diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis two years ago, and then he had taken prednisolone, methotrexate, mesalazine regularly. At physical examination, there was no abnormal finding except pretibial pitting edema and right hemiplegia. In urinalysis, specific gravity was 1.025, pH was 5.5, protein was 4+ and RBC 0-1/ HPF and WBC 0-1/HPF. Total protein of 24 hour's urine was 5.5 g/day. The blood BUN and creatinine level were 16.4 mg/dL, 0.4 mg/dL and cholesterol level were 154 mg/dL, total protein and albumin were 4.4 g/dL and 1.9 g/dL. Serum RA factor and CRP showed high level as 94.90 IU/mL and 118.00 mg/L. On urine electrophoresis, albuminuria was dominant but M-spike was not founded. On urinalysis taken at the time of first diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis two years ago, proteinuria was negative and serum albumin levels was 3.6 g/dL. At that time, there was no evidence of nephropathy. In renal biopsy, electron microscope showed heavy nonbranching amyloid fibrils accumulated in mesangium and polarized light microscopy after Congo-red staining revealed apple-green birefringent amyloid deposits in glomeruli and blood. So we diagnosed renal amyloidosis associated with RA.
Albuminuria ; Amyloid ; Amyloidosis* ; Arthritis, Rheumatoid* ; Biopsy ; Cholesterol ; Colitis, Ulcerative ; Creatinine ; Diagnosis ; Edema ; Electrophoresis ; Hemiplegia ; Humans ; Hydrogen-Ion Concentration ; Mesalamine ; Methotrexate ; Microscopy, Polarization ; Middle Aged ; Neurology ; Physical Examination ; Plaque, Amyloid ; Prednisolone ; Proteinuria ; Serum Albumin ; Specific Gravity ; Urinalysis

BACKGROUND: It is necessary to measure total body water (TBW) in evaluation of the hemodialysis adequacy. Waston's equation has been used clinically. And it is important to measure adequate dry body weight to avoid fluid overloading after hemodialysis. But there was no objective method to measure dry body weight, it was estimated subjectively by clinicians (doctors and nurses). Multi-frequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MFBIA) has emerged as a clinical tool of the measurement of total body water (TBW) and body fluid compartment (ICW, ECW). The purpose of this study is to investigate the correlation MFBIA-TBW and Watson equation, Then intracellular water (ICW)/extracellular water (ECW) ratio (I/E ratio) usefulness in the evaluation of dry body weight. METHODS: 20 HD patients treated 3 times/week and 21 sex and age adjusted normal control subjects were studied. We measuerd and compared MFBIA-TBW to Waston equation, estimate reproducibility MFBIA-TBW measurement. Then MFBIA-ECW, ICW and I/E ratio were measured and compared dialysis patients both pre- and post dialysis to control group. RESULTS: The correlation between Wastron-TBW and MFBIA-TBW for patients was 0.948 (p<0.001). The closeness of agreement between MFBIA-TBW and Waston-TBW is shown Bland-Altman plots. There was no difference in post-dialysis patient's ICW/ECW ratio compared to control group. CONCLUSION: MFBIA is useful tool for dialysis patients' TBW measurements. Also ICW/ECW ratio measurement by MFBIA may be used to estimate the adequate ultrafiltration.
Body Fluid Compartments ; Body Water* ; Body Weight ; Dialysis ; Electric Impedance* ; Humans ; Renal Dialysis* ; Ultrafiltration