Goodpasture’s Syndrome with Negative Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Antibodies

Abstract

A young male patient with rapidly progressive and life-threatening pulmonary haemorrhage due to anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) antibody disease without renal involvement repeatedly tested negative for serum anti-GBM antibodies. Although rare, anti-GBM antibody disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis in patients with life-threatening pulmonary haemorrhage due to isolated diffuse alveolar haemorrhage. Enzyme-linked-immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing for anti-GBM antibodies in anti-GBM antibody disease can give false-negative results. A negative serum anti-GBM antibody test is therefore insufficient to exclude the diagnosis. Thus, a kidney or lung biopsy should be considered in any case with a high clinical suspicion but negative anti-GBM antibody test to confirm or rule out the diagnosis.

Keywords

• Goodpasture
• diffuse alveolar hemorrhage
• anti-GBM antibodies