Acute renal failure due to leptospirosis: clinical features and outcome in six cases

Six cases of severe leptospiral infection with renal failure are described. Five of the six patients had acute oliguric renal failure requiring dialysis. Renal function recovered over three weeks and by two months all patients had plasma creatinine levels less than 200 mumol/litre. The initial diagnosis of leptospirosis depended on clinical and epidemiological features because serological confirmation was not possible during the first week of the illness. All the patients had either high risk occupations or a history of exposure to external sources of infection. All had fever, myalgia, jaundice and muscle tenderness. Although bilirubin levels were high (greater than 350 mumol/litre in five) the elevations of aspartate transaminase and alkaline phosphatase levels, and prolongations of prothrombin times were relatively slight. Thrombocytopenia occurred in five of the six cases. Leptospira complement fixation tests were weakly positive or negative on admission in five cases but rose to significant levels subsequently. Penicillin treatment resulted in Jarisch-Herxheimer reactions in three cases. The important complications were: upper gastro-intestinal haemorrhage (five cases), thrombocytopenia less than 30 000 platelets/mm3 (four cases), atrial fibrillation (three cases), drowsiness with asterixis (four cases). All six patients were seriously ill and required intensive supportive therapy. All survived.