Autopsy Pathology of Diabetic Nephropathy with Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease and Anemic Heart Failure

An autopsy was performed at Abia State University Teaching Hospital, Aba, Nigeria on a 58 year old woman who was known to be diabetic and hypertensive. Results of autopsy findings showed that the external description was cachectic, severely pale, cyanosed and jaundiced. The thorax, abdominal and pelvic organs were in their normal anatomic position. The trachea mucosa was hyperemic. The bronchi contained frothy fluid. The parietal pleural was shiny and smooth. The heart was enlarged and flabby. The parietal pericardium was smooth and shiny and not attached to the visceral pericardium. The tongue was pale, furred and have prominent papillae. The esophageal mucosa was hyperaemic. The cut sections of the liver showed a nutmeg appearance. The thymus was vestigial. The cut surfaces were cream colored and solid. The thyroid was grossly normal in size. The cut surfaces were brownish and showed colloid in areas. Both kidneys were grossly normal. The cut sections showed loss of corticomedullary differentiation. There were bilateral multicystic swellings on both ovaries. The cranium was intact with no fracture in the skull. The cerebral vessels showed few fatty streaks but no aneurysmal dilatation. Histologic section of the kidney showed numerous glomeruli with varying degree of sclerosis, and capillary basement membrane thickening. The cause of death was anemic heart failure, metastatic serous cystadenocarcinoma, and diabetic nephropathy with hypertensive cardiovascular disease. Thorough autopsies on all deaths of heart failure to study other associated pathologies was recommended.

Keywords: Autopsy, Anemic Heart Failure, Hypertensive Cardiovascular Disease, Diabetic Nephropathy, Histology