Lymphocytopenia may be a new indicator for infected obstructed kidneys secondary to urinary stone disease

Infected obstructed kidney (IOK) is a urological emergency. We wanted to look at the role of serum inflammatory markers in these patients.

Patients with IOK requiring percutaneous nephrostomy (PCN) at our university hospital were identified, and data were collected on lymphocyte count, C-reactive protein (CRP) and microbiology results.

Thirty-nine patients had PCN for IOK. Lymphocytopenia was seen in two-thirds of these patients. Severe lymphocytopenia was associated with a significant rise in CRP in all cases and following PCN, lymphocytopenia improved in the majority of cases.

Lymphocytopenia seems to be associated with the severity of infection and could be a surrogate marker on its own or in conjunction with CRP for initial diagnosis and monitoring response to treatment in patients with IOKs.