[Relapsing viral hepatitis type A complicated with renal failure]

We report the case of a 42-year old male with an episode of relapsing hepatitis A of cholestatic pattern, which clinic course was complicated by fever, anemia and renal failure, requiring hemodialysis. The occurrence of cryglobulins and diminished complement levels was detected. A kidney biopsy was performed showing evidence of thrombotic microangiopathy. The patient had a good therapeutic response to corticosteroids, although he developed recurrence of fever and a palpable purpuric rush over his lower extremities when dose was reduced. A skin biopsy found leukocytoclastic vasculitis. Symptoms and physical findings improved when therapy with cycloposphamide was started and the dose of corticosteroids was increased. Hepatitis A virus infection usually has a benign course, although complications may occasionally develop. The relapsing form can be seen in 3-20% of the case; it can appear with a cholestatic pattern and most of the time it has a mild clinic development. Unlike hepatitis B, extra-hepatic manifestations are unusual in hepatitis A, and renal manifestations are even more infrequent. Acute renal failure (ARF) in non-fulminating hepatitis A has been reported only occasionally and its etiology remains unclear. Several hypotheses have been proposed, including renal toxicity due to hyperuricemia or increased bilirrubin, cryoglobulinemia, alterations in the renal blood flow due to endotoxemia or peripheral immune complex-mediated damage when hypocomplementemia is found. Kidney biopsy showed evidence of thrombotic microangiopathy, which raised the hypothesis of a Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). An association with HUS has been described in a patient with surface antigen for hepatitis B (HBsAg) and anomalies in the hepatic biochemical tests, but as far as we know this is the first case of relapsing hepatitis A associated with a confirmed microangiopathic renal involvement.