ACUTE-RENAL-FAILURE COMPLICATING NON-FULMINANT HEPATITIS-A

Hepatitis A is usually a mild and self-limiting infection of the liver . Whereas the clinical course is usually benign in children, complicat ions such as prolonged cholestasis and fulminant liver failure have be en reported in adults. Acute functional renal failure is an uncommon e vent in the absence of fulminating liver disease. So far, only cases o f acute hepatitis A with biopsy-proven interstitial renal disease or t ubular necrosis have been reported [Geltner et al. 1992, Kramer et al. 1986]. We present the case of a 35-year-old, previously healthy male with non-fulminant cholestatic viral hepatitis A, who developed progre ssive oliguric renal failure requiring dialysis therapy. Kidney biopsy ruled out glomerular disease and tubular necrosis. In the absence of bleeding and other causes of fluid depletion this case may be another variant of hepatorenal syndrome whose etiopathogenesis is only poorly understood.