Patterns of podocyte infolding glomerulopathy and collapsing glomerulopathy seen in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: a case study

Podocyte infolding glomerulopathy (PIG) is a rare histological finding in renal biopsies, first described in Japan in 2008. It is characterised by the infolding of podocytes into the glomerular basement membrane (GBM), leading to the formation of microspheres and/or microtubules within thickened GBM visualised on electron microscopy (EM).1 These cases have been commonly associated with autoimmune diseases with 70% having a history of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or Sjögren's syndrome. They typically present with proteinuria, ranging from mild to nephrotic range, with or without haematuria, or with signs or symptoms of the systemic autoimmune disease.