Morphological spectrum of renal pathology and its correlation to clinical features in patients with disseminated intravascular coagulation: A study involving a series of 21 autopsy cases

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a thrombohemorrhagic disorder, occurs as a secondary complication in many diseases, but the histopathological features of kidneys in DIC have not been extensively characterized thus far. We reviewed 21 autopsy cases of patients with a clinical diagnosis of DIC and studied the repertoire of renal pathology. Eighteen patients had elevated serum creatinine levels and 15 patients had a variable degree of proteinuria. Underlying disorders included malignant neoplasms in 12 patients, and abdominal aortic aneurysm, acute myocardial infarction, and systemic infections in other patients. Coexistent glomerular pathology, such as focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) with different morphological variants, and microthrombi formation, was present in many patients. The microthrombi were histologically similar to that seen in thrombotic microangiopathy, but characteristics associated with DIC were detected by special staining. The presence of FSGS correlated with the degree of urinary protein (P = 0.0044), and the presence of acute tubular injury (ATI) and the extent of global glomerulosclerosis both correlated with serum creatinine levels (P = 0.019 and 0.0003, respectively). FSGS was probably due to endothelial cell damage, another potential etiology for FSGS. Global glomerulosclerosis, a result of previous renal injury, can be a determinant of renal function during the acute phase of DIC.