Lamivudine for the treatment of membranous glomerulopathy secondary to chronic Hepatitis B infection.

Membranous glomerulopathy is a well-recognized extrahepatic manifestation of chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The authors report two cases of HBV-related nephrotic syndrome treated with lamivudine. A 46-year-old Chinese man had a hepatitis B e antigen seroconversion along with improvement in his nephrotic syndrome after lamivudine therapy. Two years after treatment was discontinued, a reactivation of HBV was successfully treated again with lamivudine. A 44-year-old Chinese woman, who was intolerant of interferon, was treated with lamivudine for 15 months without a virological response. However, two years after completing lamivudine, her nephrotic syndrome resolved. Implications for the treatment of HBV-related glomerulopathy and a review of the literature are presented.