Shunt Nephritis: A Case of Mistaken Identity

Background: Membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis is a histological pattern of glomerular injury due to the deposition of immune complexes and complement factors. It is associated with bacterial and viral infections, auto-immune diseases such as systemic lupus erythematosus and Sjogren's syndrome, monoclonal gammopathy, and complement disorders (dense deposit disease and C3 glomerulopathy). Case presentation: This is the report of a 25-year-old male with membranoproliferative glomerulonephritis who was initially treated for systemic lupus erythematosus, but who was later diagnosed with nephritis due to a chronic infection of a central nervous system shunt, last revised at the age of 3 years old. Discussion: We highlight the challenges in making an early diagnosis of shunt nephritis, and succinctly discuss the clinical, biochemical, histopathological findings, and differential diagnosis of this type of infection-related glomerulonephritis.