Abstract Cryoglobulinemia is a rare entity and is part of the differential diagnosis of pulmonary-renal syndrome. This study reports the case of a patient admitted by petechial lesions, arthralgias and ulcer on the right lower limb, subsequently associated with impaired renal function and later respiratory failure secondary to alveolar hemorrhage, diagnosed by images and bronchoalveolar lavage and managed with plasmapheresis, presenting clinical improvement, discarding autoimmune, infectious and neoplastic etiology as the cause of the current clinical picture, documenting only the presence of essential cryoglobulinemia. (Acta Med Colomb 2014; 39: 72-76).