This study shows that AKI in scrub typhus is common and a severe disease. Age, a shorter hospital stay, severities of leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia, azotemia, hypoalbuminemia, hepatic dysfunction and the complications of ARDS, encephalopathy, MOF and need for ICU support are the factors associated with mortality.

Acute renal failure is an unusual complication of wasp stings. We report three cases who developed acute renal failure after multiple wasp stings (Vespa magnifica). Two patients had evidence of intravascular haemolysis and rhabdomyolysis whereas one patient investigation showed no evidence of intravascular haemolysis or rhabdomyolysis. All three cases had impaired liver functions. Oligo-anuria was seen in all three of the patients and all of them required dialytic support. One patient died of massive gastrointestinal bleeding while the remaining two recovered completely. Although acute renal failure after wasp stings is typically caused by acute tubular necrosis in the setting of haemolysis or rhabdomyolysis, in some patients, renal failure may result from a direct nephrotoxic effect or acute interstitial nephritis from a hypersensitivity reaction to the wasp venom.

We aimed to study the epidemiology and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI). This is a prospective study of adults aged 18 years or above diagnosed with AKI over a period of 16 months at a tertiary care hospital. Three hundred and nine patients had AKI. The observed incidence of AKI was eight per 1000 admissions. About 92.2% had community-acquired AKI (CA-AKI), and in 7.8% it was hospital-acquired AKI (HA-AKI). Etiological factors for AKI were medical in 87.4% of the cases, surgical in 9.4%, and obstetric 3.2%. Sepsis was the most common (53.1%) etiology of AKI among the medical cases. Among sepsis, scrub typhus, urosepsis, and pneumonia were the most common causes of AKI. Hypovolemia (9.4%), biological toxins (8.4%), nephrotoxic drugs and chemicals (7.4%), cardiac causes (7.4%), and acute glomerulonephritis (1.9%) were other medical causes of AKI. Nearly 38.2% had multiorgan failure, 20.1% required vasopressors, 6.1 % required Intensive Care Unit support, and 23.3% required dialysis. Mortality was 8.7%. Anemia, use of vasopressor drugs, and need for intensive care support were independent predictive factors for mortality. AKI is common in hospitalized adults in India and leads to significant in-hospital mortality. AKI is largely a CA-AKI and the lesser percentage is due to HA-AKI. Many causes are potentially preventable. Early fluid resuscitation, effective anti-infective treatment, appropriate antidotes, and timely referral of established AKI patients to centers with dialysis facilities can improve AKI outcomes.

Granulocytic sarcoma or chloroma is a tumor composed of myeloblast or monoblast. These tumors may be found in any location of the body and occur in 5% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases and are more common in pediatric patients. In this report we describe the case of a 27-year-old male who developed lower motor neuron seventh nerve palsy followed by swelling of the parotid gland. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) of the soft tissue swelling revealed scattered blasts, and peripheral smear and bone marrow aspirate examination suggested AML. This is a rare presentation of a granulocytic sarcoma leading to a diagnosis of AML. Am.

We describe an interesting case of reversible renal impairment secondary to hypothyroidism. A 57-years-old man was referred from peripheral institution for evaluation of elevated serum creatinine. He had vague complaints of weakness, lethargy and muscle ache but no urinary symptoms. He was found to have hypothyroidism, and thyroid hormone replacement therapy (THRT) was started which resulted in reversal of the renal dysfunction. There was marked improvement in estimated glomerular filtration rate. 99mTc DTPA renal scans done before and after THRT suggested hypothyroidism responsible for this reversible renal impairment. Several studies have described the pathophysiology of diminished renal function in hypothyroidism. Few studies or case reports have shown total amelioration of renal impairment as seen in our patient. The etiology is presumed to be multifactorial, in which hemodynamic effects and a direct effect of thyroid hormone on the kidney play an important role. We suggest that patients with renal impairment of unknown cause have thyroid function tests undertaken as part of routine investigation.