Acute anuric renal failure in nonfulminant hepatitis A infection

Acute renal failure has recently been recognized as a rare complication of nonfulminant hepatitis A infection. The availability of a specific test for IgM antibody to hepatitis A should permit prompt diagnosis of the disease and a better evaluation of its association with acute renal failure. The exact mechanism for acute renal failure in hepatitis A is uncertain but glomerulonephritis, acute tubular necrosis and hepatorenal syndrome have been postulated. We report a patient with hepatitis A infection and acute renal failure most likely due to acute tubular necrosis.