[Bacterial urinary tract infections in nephropathies caused by analgesics. Clinico-pathologic correlations]

The clinical findings and past history with regard to bacterial urinary infection were correlated with the morbid-anatomical findings in 51 cases of analgesic nephropathy, confirmed clinically and histologically. Light-microscopy and immunohistology indicated that clinical and morphological findings agreed in 64.7%. In 23.5% of cases there was evidence of destruction without any history of urinary tract infection, while in 11.8% there was no destruction even after urinary tract infections. Clinical findings and morphological results were thus complementary in that the incidence of bacterial urinary tract infection with renal involvement was definitely higher in analgesic nephropathy than on isolated assessment by clinical means or histology alone.