Acute tubulointerstitial nephritis following ingestion of Chlorella tablets

Hyung Eun Yim, Kee Hwan Yoo, Won Hee Seo, Nam Hee Won, Young Sook Hong, Joo Won Lee

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    22 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Here, we report on a boy with acute tubulointerstitial nephritis (ATIN), who developed it following ingestion of Chlorella tablets as a food supplement. He was incidentally detected to have glucosuria, proteinuria, and leukocyturia during school mass screening. He had had a history of ingestion of Chlorella tablets for 3 months. Laboratory studies showed anemia, increased levels of creatinine, decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR), hypokalemia, hypo-uricemia, hypophosphatemia, hypergammaglobulinemia, proteinuria, leukocyturia, and glucosuria. ATIN was diagnosed by renal biopsy. The patient's renal function improved after initiation of corticosteroid therapy and discontinuation of Chlorella for 6 months. Chlorella may be a causative allergen inducing tubulointerstitial injury in kidney.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)887-888
    Number of pages2
    JournalPediatric Nephrology
    Volume22
    Issue number6
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 2007 Jun

    Keywords

    • Chlorella
    • Tubulointerstitial nephritis

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
    • Nephrology

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