title: Obstructive nephropathy as a result of retroperitoneal fibrosis: a review of its pathogenesis and associations.
abstract: Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a rare disease, typically with an insidious clinical course. It is thought that this disease process is perhaps an exaggerated reaction to an inciting inflammatory event. In this study, a case of retroperitoneal fibrosis is reported, in which the patient presented with typical symptoms of retroperitoneal fibrosis, along with some atypical vasculitic symptomatology. Retroperitoneal fibrosis is a disease process with an unknown etiology, which has been observed to be associated with a number of different possible inciting factors. Two factors that have been documented in the literature as being associated with retroperitoneal fibrosis include the use of beta-blocking agents, and connective tissue disease processes such as systemic lupus erythematosus. The patient discussed was using beta-blocker medication and also had signs and symptoms suggestive of a lupus syndrome. There are no reported cases of the combined association of beta-blocker usage, lupus, and retroperitoneal fibrosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey 17033, USA.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Demko
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Diamond
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Groff
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007249:Inflammation; D008875:Middle Aged; D012185:Retroperitoneal Fibrosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D014517:Ureteral Obstruction / Q000209:etiology* / Q000276:immunology