Spontaneous remission of Goodpasture syndrome in a 21-year-old patient

A 21-year-old man was admitted twice within half-a-year because of fatigue and increasing dyspnoea. Both times the chest x-ray showed extensive pulmonary infiltrates. Clinical remission occurred within a few days of starting antibiotic treatment. During the second admission an increased titre for antibodies against glomerular basement membrane was discovered (2560 U/ml); renal functions were normal, but there was haematuria. Renal biopsy revealed linear deposits of IgG along the glomerular basement membrane. The pattern of findings indicated Goodpasture's syndrome. Immunosuppressive treatment and plasma separation did not have to be performed because spontaneous remission occurred within a few days. This case demonstrates that spontaneous remission may occur in Goodpasture's syndrome.