IgG-mediated intravascular hemolysis and nonoliguric acute renal failure complicating discontinuous rifampicin...

Acute renal failure following intermittent or discontinuous rifampicin therapy is a relatively infrequent clinical observation. Many pathogenetic mechanisms for the renal failure have been proposed, including intravascular hemolysis with hemoglobinuria and its consequent nephrotoxicity. We report the case of a patient who used rifampicin in a discontinuous fashion and developed hemolysis with nonoliguric acute renal failure. Most reported cases of antirifampicin antibodies are of the IgM class; thus, the development of an IgG antirifampicin antibody is of interest, especially because of its strong in vivo hemolytic properties. In addition, this patient developed a nonoliguric uremic course that did not require dialysis, both of which are distinctly unusual for this clinical setting.