Published online Jul 6, 2023. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v11.i19.4684
Peer-review started: February 28, 2023
First decision: May 8, 2023
Revised: May 16, 2023
Accepted: May 31, 2023
Article in press: May 31, 2023
Published online: July 6, 2023
Processing time: 122 Days and 11.7 Hours
Podocyte infolding glomerulopathy (PIG) is a newly described and rare glomerular disease. To date, only approximately 40 cases have been reported globally.
A 26-year-old female patient presented to our hospital with a complaint of intermittent edema of both lower limbs over the past 2 years. The patient was diagnosed with PIG. She was prescribed corticosteroid therapy in other hospitals during the initial stage, to which she had responded poorly and had developed femoral head necrosis. Therefore, we administered immunosuppressants, renin-angiotensin system inhibitors, combined with traditional Chinese medicine. The patient was followed for 1 year, during which her clinical condition improved.
Integrated Chinese and Western medicine may be effective for PIG treatment, which requires active intervention to improve prognosis.
Core Tip: Due to the limited number of reported cases, insufficient information on the characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of podocyte infolding glomerulopathy is available. Based on our case and those reported in PubMed, we believe that treatment with corticosteroids, immunosuppressants, and renin-angiotensin system inhibitors is effective. Some patients cannot tolerate corticosteroids and immunosuppressants. When adverse effects occur, clinicians should avoid making negative treatment. Doctors should actively intervene and offer patients treatment suggestions, among which traditional Chinese medicine may be an effective treatment method.