Ultrastructural Injury of Renal Podocytes in Catastrophic Antiphospholipid Syndrome

A 41-year-old male patient was admitted to the cardi- ology department because of a 1-month history of dyspnea and lower extremity edema, accompanied by paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea following coronavirus disease 2019 infection.Four months prior, the patient experienced unexplained cough and expectoration with bloody sputum.Physical examination showed a heart rate of 131 beats per minute, blood pressure of 165/121 mmHg, jugular venous distension, and lower-limb edema.Laboratory tests revealed markedly elevated levels of pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (11,446 pg/mL) and cardiac troponin I (58.9 pg/mL), increased levels of alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and C-reactive