BACKGROUND: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM) tends to complicate other autoimmune diseases. When considering renal dysfunction in patients with DM, diabetic nephropathy is a likely diagnosis. By contrast, anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) glomerulonephritis, an autoimmune disease, is one cause of rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis.

CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 44-year-old woman diagnosed with anti-glomerular basement membrane (GBM) glomerulonephritis. The diagnosis was made on the basis of serological test results and pathological findings of a renal biopsy. Five years before admission, she was diagnosed with type 1 DM. At admission, she presented with a fever, chills, nausea, low back pain, and malaise, which were followed by progressive renal dysfunction. The initial presentation mimicked a urinary tract infection, which delayed the correct diagnosis.

CONCLUSIONS: Our patient’s course strongly suggests that rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis should be considered as an early differential diagnosis in cases of progressive renal dysfunction, especially when accompanied by fever, regardless of the underlying disease.

Keywords: Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1