Keywords： myxoedema coma, hypothyroidism, subacute kidney injury, hemodialysis, disturbance of consciousness 〈Abstract〉 The patient was a 90 year old woman. She was brought to our hospital for close examination and treatment, including the introduction of dialysis. Renal dysfunction that had worsened from Cre： 1.97 to 3.86 mg/dL over a period of 1 year, respiratory distress, and pleural effusion were also observed. After hospitalization and close examination, myxoedema coma was diagnosed, and thyroid hormone replacement was performed along with continuous hemodiafiltration (CHDF). The renal function showed improvement and the patient was transferred to hemodialysis (HD), and could be subsequently weaned off HD. Hypothyroidism is an infrequent cause of renal dysfunction, but prompt intervention has been shown to improve the renal function. When searching for the cause of renal dysfunction, as in the present case, hypothyroidism should be considered, and close examination, including measurement of hormone levels, should be performed.

Background and Aims Glucocorticoids have been the standard treatment for anti-neutrophil cytoplasm autoantibody-associated vasculitis (AAV). Avacopan, a complement C5a receptor inhibitor, has been approved for the treatment of AAV in Japan, the USA, Germany, and Austria. The use of avacopan is supported by evidence from trials demonstrating disease remission with limited use of glucocorticoids [1–3]. Avacopan is a new, promising adjunctive agent for standard induction therapy for AAV and may potentially reduce steroid use. Method We assessed treatment responses of patients with AAV who did not require dialysis between 2018 and 2023. Group 1 consisted of six adult patients who were treated with avacopan (30 mg, twice daily) plus reduced-dose prednisone, and Group 2 consisted of 14 patients who received high-dose prednisone. We compared the mean dose of prednisone, Birmingham Vasculitis Activity Score (BVAS), creatinine, urine protein/creatinine ratio (UPCR), and C-reactive protein (CRP) at weeks 0 and 12 between the two groups. Results The mean total prednisone dose of oral glucocorticoids at both weeks 0 and 12 was much lower in Group 1 than in Group 2 (p<0.05). Mean BVAS, creatinine, UPCR, and CRP in Group 1 was comparable to Group 2. Steroid-related toxicity occurred in three of six (50%) patients in Group 1, and 5 of 14 (36%) patients in Group 2. Liver damage related to avacopan occurred in two of six (33%) patients in Group 1. Conclusion Herein, we describe practice observations on the use of avacopan in patients with AAV. While further studies are needed to confirm the efficacy of avacopan because the number of cases treated with avacopan is still lacking, our findings suggest that avacopan was beneficial in AAV patients because of the absence of steroid dependence.

Background Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare disorder characterized by asthma, eosinophilia, and systemic vasculitis. Renal involvement is not regarded as a prominent feature and the treatment is still under study. Case presentation A 68-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of fever, renal dysfunction, eosinophilia, and the presence of MPO-ANCA. Based on the renal pathological examination which showed extravascular eosinophilic-predominant inflammation and crescentic glomerulonephritis, EGPA was diagnosed. Considering the acute kidney injury, prominent eosinophilia, and strongly positive anti-MPO antibodies, pulse steroid therapy was administered, followed by intravenous rituximab. Plasmapheresis was also provided (9 sessions). The eosinophil count was normalized, and renal dysfunction was reversed. The patient no longer requires dialysis. Conclusions Renal involvement of EGPA is rare, and consensus on its treatment is still lacking, because of a lack of large-scale randomized controlled trials. We treated our patient as a case with high severity. For patients with severe disease, the addition of cyclophosphamide to glucocorticoid therapy is commonly used. However, rituximab and plasmapheresis combined with systemic glucocorticoid therapy were found to be beneficial because the renal function and other clinical conditions were almost fully recovered. Thus, our treatment is highly effective against renal involvement of eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis.

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