Lupus-like manifestations after allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: a rare case of chronic graft-versus-host disease

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (GvHD) is the leading cause of late death in allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recipients, of which the kidney is a potential target. In this article, we report an extremely rare case of chronic GvHD, characterized by immune complex-mediated diffuse proliferative glomerulonephritis and various autoantibodies detected in the serum; it is the first case of lupus-like chronic GvHD reported to date. The patient responded well to intensive immunosuppressive therapy and reached complete remission. Mycophenolate mofetil was more effective than tacrolimus in this case, suggesting that treatment of kidney diseases associated with chronic GvHD should be based on pathogenesis and pathological patterns.