Low C3 in a 4-month-old baby: is it a problem?

Pediatr Nephrol. 2024 May;39(5):1427-1428. doi: 10.1007/s00467-023-06228-x. Epub 2023 Nov 24.

Abstract

A 4-month-old male baby was admitted because his father and uncles had chronic kidney disease. His father was diagnosed with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis at the age of 5, underwent a kidney transplant at the age of 22, and lost the graft due to recurrence of the disease. In contrast, the young uncle was diagnosed with C3 glomerulopathy and mycophenolate mofetil and eculizumab were initiated early. It was remarkable that our patient had normal kidney function and urine analyses but low serum C3 level (0.56 g/L; N, 0.9-1.8 g/L). In the disease-associated clinical exome analysis, a heterozygous change in the CFH gene was found. The same mutation was found homozygous in the uncle. In genetically inherited diseases, findings may occur sequentially; early screening of at-risk individuals contributes to kidney survival.

Keywords: C3 glomerulopathy; Factor H mutation; Hypocomplementaemia.

MeSH terms

  • Complement C3 / genetics
  • Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative* / diagnosis
  • Glomerulonephritis, Membranoproliferative* / genetics
  • Humans
  • Infant
  • Kidney
  • Kidney Transplantation*
  • Male
  • Mycophenolic Acid

Substances

  • Complement C3
  • Mycophenolic Acid