Hemophagocytic Syndrome in Children With Visceral Leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND: Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) is a serious complication of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The aim of this study is to describe demographical, clinical and laboratory features of HLH in children with VL. METHODS: This is a retrospective cohort of children with HLH and VL admitted to a tertiary hospital in Northeast, Brazil, from January 2012 to April 2014. Clinical and laboratory data at admission and during hospital stay were reviewed. Acute kidney injury (AKI) was defined according to the pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage kidney disease criteria. RESULTS: A total 127 VL children were admitted, and 35 children had diagnosis of HLH. Mean age was 4.2 ± 4.3 years, with 62.9% males. Mean hospital stay was 29 ± 12 days. Main signs and symptoms were fever (100%), splenomegaly (94.2%) and hepatomegaly (60%). Laboratory findings showed pancytopenia, albumin 3.03 ± 0.77 g/dL, fibrinogen 236.1 ± 117.2 mg/dL, total calcium 8.2 ± 1.2 mEq/L, lactate dehydrogenase 1804 ± 1019 mg/dL, alkaline phosphatase 1275.4 ± 2160.5 IU/L, total bilirubin 1.9 ± 2.4 mg/dL, direct bilirubin 0.67 ± 1.02 mg/dL, indirect bilirubin 1.2 ± 2.2 mg/dL, aspartate aminotransferase 140.0 ± 145.3 IU/L, alanine aminotransferase 71.4 ± 81.1 IU/L, ferritin 4296.5 ± 8028.8 ng/dL and triglycerides 333 ± 141 mg/dL. AKI was observed in 16 children (45.7%), predominantly mild forms (93.75% "risk"). AKI group presented lower levels of platelets (69,131 ± 40,247 vs. 138,678 ± 127,494/mm, P = 0.035) than non-AKI. No patient required dialysis and there was no death. CONCLUSIONS: HLH was not a rare complication of VL. Main symptoms were compatible with both VL and HLH. Main laboratory findings reflected HLH pathophysiology. Mild forms of AKI were a common complication of HLH. Despite the disease severity and complications, mortality was low.

Comparative analysis of pediatric and adult visceral leishmaniasis in Brazil.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to compare clinical manifestations, laboratory data, morbidity and mortality between adults and children with visceral leishmaniasis, with a focus on kidney function. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study with 432 patients with visceral leishmaniasis diagnosed at 1 center in the northeast of Brazil. Patients were divided into 2 groups according to age (>21 years and ≤ 21 years old). RESULTS: The time between onset of symptoms and beginning of treatment was longer in adults (89.5 versus 48.5 days, P < 0.001); signs and symptoms were similar in both groups. Failure of treatment with glucantime was more common in adults (17.6% versus 8.8%, P = 0.008). Acute kidney injury was observed in 160 patients (37.0%), and it was more severe in adults. Risk factors for acute kidney injury in adults were hypokalemia, leukopenia, chills and amphotericin B use. In children, secondary infections were found to increase the risk for acute kidney injury. Overall mortality was 8.8%, and it was significantly higher in adults (12.6% versus 4.1%, P = 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: The adult population had more severe laboratory abnormalities and a worse prognosis, possibly due to delay in diagnosis. Acute kidney injury is prevalent in both groups, and it is usually more severe in adults.

Differences in community, hospital and intensive care unit-acquired acute kidney injury: observational study in a nephrology service of a developing country.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) complicates more than 7% of all in-hospital patients. The aim of this study is to investigate the differences in community, hospital and intensive care unit-acquired AKI in patients undergoing nephrology consultation in a tertiary hospital in a developing country. METHODS: An observational cohort study of all patients with AKI admitted to the General Hospital of Fortaleza, Brazil was conducted. RIFLE criteria were used to classify the patients and to assess their association with death. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the factors associated with death. RESULTS: Of 491 AKI patients undergoing nephrology consultation, the mean age was 55.2 ± 22.9 years. Community-acquired AKI was observed in 55% of cases, general ward-acquired in 29% and ICU-acquired in 15.3%. Late Nephrology consultation was observed, and the great majority of patients had "Failure" classification (90%) according to RIFLE criteria. Intermittent hemodialysis was required in 68% of cases. The overall in-hospital mortality was 23%. The in-hospital mortality was higher in ICU-acquired AKI (33.6%). Community acquired AKI had a higher mortality than general ward-acquired AKI (23% vs. 11.6%, p = 0.001). Risk factors for death were infection (OR = 2.0, p = 0.003), neoplasms (OR = 1.89, p = 0.042), community acquired-AKI (OR = 1.27, p = 0.003), ICU acquired-AKI (OR = 2.76, p < 0.0001) and need for renal replacement therapy (OR = 2.64, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: AKI is a frequent and frequently fatal condition. Mortality was higher in community and ICU-acquired than hospital ward-acquired AKI.

Acute kidney injury in children with visceral leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND: There is no comprehensive study about renal function in children with visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of acute kidney injury (AKI) in children with VL using pRIFLE classification and to determine the risk factors for AKI. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with 146 patients younger than 14 years of age with VL diagnosis in one center located at the northeast of Brazil from December 2003 to 2010. AKI was evaluated by pediatric Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss, End-stage kidney disease (pRIFLE) criteria. RESULTS: The mean age was 5 ± 4.0 years (range, 5 months to 14 years), and 53.4% were males. AKI was observed in 67 patients (45.9%). The distribution according to the pRIFLE criteria was as follows: risk 45 (67.2%), injury 21 (31.3%), and failure 1 (1.5%). Patients in the AKI group were significantly younger (P < 0.001) and had jaundice (P = 0.028) and secondary infections (P = 0.001) more often than non-AKI patients. The AKI group had a significantly lower serum sodium (P = 0.03), potassium (P = 0.009), serum albumin (P = 0.001), and elevated serum globulins (P = 0.04), and a more prolonged prothrombin time (P = 0.001) at admission. Independent risk factors for AKI were: secondary infections (OR: 3.65, 95% CI: 1.426-9.358, P = 0.007), serum albumin decrement (OR: 1.672, 95% CI: 1.065-2.114, P = 0.019 per each 1 mg dL(-1) serum albumin decrement), and high serum globulin (OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.031-1.779, P = 0.029 per each 1 mg dL(-1) serum globulin increment). CONCLUSIONS: AKI is a frequent complication in children with VL. The risk factors for AKI were secondary infections, high serum globulin and low serum albumin.

Different patterns in a cohort of patients with severe leptospirosis (Weil syndrome): effects of an educational program in an endemic area.

The aim of this study is to investigate the changes in clinical pattern and therapeutic measures in leptospirosis-associated acute kidney injury; a retrospective study with 318 patients in Brazil. Patients were divided according to the time of admission: 1985-1996 (group I) and 1997-2010 (group II). Patients were younger in group I (36 ± 13 versus 41 ± 16 years, P = 0.005) and the numbers of oliguria increased (21% versus 41% in group II, P = 0.014). Higher frequency of lung manifestations was observed in group II (P < 0.0001). Although increased severity, there was a significant reduction in mortality (20% in group I versus 12% in group II, P = 0.03). Mortality was associated with advanced age, low diastolic blood pressure, oliguria, arrhythmia, and peritoneal dialysis, besides a trend to better mortality with penicillin administration. Leptospirosis is occurring in an older population, with a higher number of oliguria and lung manifestations. However, mortality is decreasing and can be the result of changes in treatment.

Visceral leishmaniasis in children: a cohort of 120 patients in a metropolitan city of Brazil.

There are few studies regarding the clinical presentation of visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in children. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical manifestations, major complications and causes of death in children with VL. A retrospective study was performed with pediatric patients (< or = 14 years old) with a diagnosis of VL in Fortaleza, state of Ceara, in Northeast Brazil. A total of 120 patients were included. The mean age was 5 +/- 3.9 years, and 53.4% were male. The main clinical manifestations at admission were: fever (94.2%), splenomegaly (94.2%), hepatomegaly (82.5%), anorexia (55%), malaise (47.5%), cough (41.6%), abdominal pain (27.5%), vomiting (25.5%), and diarrhea (16.6%). Acute kidney injury was found in 25% of the patients. The main complication during hospital stay was pulmonary infection, found in 27.5% (n = 33), leading to sepsis in 3 cases. Glucantime was the drug of choice in 90% (n = 108) of the cases, amphotericin B in 7.5% (n = 9) and AmBisome in 2.5% (n = 3). Death occurred in 4 cases (3.3%) due to sepsis (3 cases) and hemorrhagic complications (1 case). Visceral leishmaniasis is a frequent infection among children in our region. The main complications were pulmonary infection and acute kidney injury related to antiparasitic therapy, along with sepsis and hemorrhage.

Predicting hospital mortality in critically ill cancer patients according to acute kidney injury severity.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication in hospitalized patients, especially in those in intensive care units (ICU). The RIFLE classification might be a valid prognostic factor for critically ill cancer patients. The present study aims to evaluate the discriminatory capacity of RIFLE versus other general prognostic scores in predicting hospital mortality in critically ill cancer patients. METHODS: This is a single-center study conducted in a cancer-specialized ICU in Brazil. All of the 288 patients hospitalized from May 2006 to June 2008 were included. RIFLE classification, APACHE II, SOFA, and SAPS II scores were calculated and the area under receiver operating characteristic (AROC) curves and logistic multiple regression were performed using hospital mortality as the outcome. RESULTS: AKI, defined by RIFLE criteria, was observed in 156 (54.2%) patients. The distribution of patients with any degree of AKI was: risk, n = 96 (33.3%); injury, n = 30 (10.4%), and failure, n = 30 (10.4%). Mortality was 13.6% for non-AKI patients, 49% for RIFLE 'R' patients, 62.3% for RIFLE 'I' patients, and 86.8% for RIFLE 'F' patients (p = 0.0006). Logistic regression analysis showed that RIFLE criteria, APACHE II, SOFA, and SAPS II were independent factors for mortality in this population. The discrimination of RIFLE was good (AROC 0.801, 95% CI 0.748-0.854) but inferior compared to those of APACHE II (AROC 0.940, 95% CI 0.915-0.966), SOFA (AROC 0.910, 95% CI 0.876-0.943), and SAPS II (AROC 0.869, 95% CI 0.827-0.912). CONCLUSION: AKI is a frequent complication in ICU patients with cancer. RIFLE was inferior to commonly used prognostic scores for predicting mortality in this cohort of patients.

Renal dysfunction in leprosy: a historical cohort of 923 patients in Brazil.

We investigated the factors associated with renal dysfunction in leprosy patients from Brazil. We report on a historical cohort of leprosy patients followed in two hospitals in Fortaleza City in northeastern Brazil. The factors associated with renal dysfunction were investigated. A total of 923 patients were included, with a mean age of 41.5 ± 19.1 years, and 53.3% were male. Renal dysfunction was found in 35 cases (3.8%). Proteinuria was found in 4.8% of cases, haematuria in 6.8% and leukocyturia in 10.4%. Factors associated with renal dysfunction by multivariate analysis were: reaction episode (odds ratio [OR] = 3.9, P = 0.03), multibacillary classification (OR = 3.5, P = 0.02) and advanced age (OR = 1.04, P = 0.01). Four patients (0.4%) died. Leprosy is associated with renal dysfunction, especially in older patients and those presenting with reaction episode and multibacillary classification.

Renal function improvement with pentavalent antimonial agents in patients with visceral leishmaniasis.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study is to investigate tubular and glomerular function after visceral leishmaniasis (VL) treatment with pentavalent antimonials. METHODS: This is a prospective study including 14 patients with VL diagnosis treated with pentavalent antimonials. Urine acidification and concentration tests were performed. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), fractional excretion of sodium (FE(Na)) and potassium (FE(K)) and free water clearance (C(H2O)) were measured to assess glomerular and tubular function. RESULTS: The VL group had a significantly lower FE(K), serum sodium and plasma osmolality (P(osm)). No significant differences were found regarding proteinuria, eGFR, FE(Na) or C(H2O). Patients in the VL group had lower urinary osmolality (U(osm)) before DDAVP use when compared to the control group, as well as a lower U/P(osm). The urinary pH before and after CaCl(2) load was higher in the VL group. CONCLUSION: This study shows evidence of reversal of some tubular dysfunction in VL, but other dysfunctions may persist, especially urinary acidification capacity.

RIFLE and Acute Kidney Injury Network classifications predict mortality in leptospirosis-associated acute kidney injury.

AIM: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common complication in leptospirosis. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between RIFLE and AKIN classifications with mortality in leptospirosis-associated AKI. METHODS: A retrospective study was conducted in patients with leptospirosis admitted to tertiary hospitals in Brazil. The association between RIFLE and AKIN classifications with mortality was investigated. Univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to investigate risk factors for death. RESULTS: A total of 287 patients were included, with an average age of 37 ± 16 years, and 80.8% were male. Overall mortality was 13%. There was a significant association between these classifications and death. Among non-survivors, 86% were in the class 'failure' and AKIN 3. Increased mortality was observed according to the worse classifications: 'risk' (R; 2%), 'injury' (I; 8%) and 'failure' (F; 23%), as well as in AKIN 1 (2%), AKIN 2 (8%) and AKIN 3 (23%) (P < 0.0001). The worst classifications were significantly associated with death: RIFLE F (odds ratio = 11.6, P = 0.018) and AKIN 3 (odds ratio = 12.8, P = 0.013). Receiver-operator curve for patients with AKI showed high areas under the curve (0.71, 95% confidence interval = 0.67-0.74) for both RIFLE and AKIN classifications in determining the sensitivity for mortality. CONCLUSION: There is a significant association between RIFLE and AKIN classifications with mortality in patients with leptospirosis. Initiation of dialysis in patients with RIFLE F and AKIN 3 should always be considered.

Risk factors for acute kidney injury in visceral leishmaniasis (Kala-Azar).

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors associated with acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with visceral leishmaniasis (VL). The study patients had a diagnosis of VL and were admitted to a tertiary hospital. A multivariate analysis was performed to analyze the risk factors for AKI. A total of 224 patients were included. The mean age was 36 +/- 15 years. AKI was observed in 33.9% of cases. Risk factors associated with AKI were male gender (odds ratio [OR] = 2.2; P = 0.03), advanced age (OR = 1.05; P < 0.001), and jaundice (OR = 2.9; P = 0.002). There was an association between amphotericin B use and AKI (OR = 18.4; P < 0.0001), whereas glucantime use was associated with lower incidence of AKI compared with amphotericin B use (OR = 0.05; P < 0.0001). Mortality was 13.3%, and it was higher in AKI patients (30.2%). Therefore, factors associated with AKI were male gender, advanced age, and jaundice. Amphotericin B was an important cause of AKI in VL.

Acute kidney injury after trauma: Prevalence, clinical characteristics and RIFLE classification.

BACKGROUND: Acute kidney injury (AKI) is an uncommon but serious complication after trauma. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, clinical characteristics and outcome of AKI after trauma. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study performed from January 2006 to January 2008 in an emergency specialized hospital in Fortaleza city, northeast of Brazil. All patients with AKI admitted in the study period were included. Prevalence of AKI, clinical characteristics and outcome were investigated. RESULTS: Of the 129 patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU), 52 had AKI. The mean age was 30.1 ± 19.2 years, and 79.8% were males. The main causes of AKI were sepsis in 27 cases (52%) and hypotension in 18 (34%). Oliguria was observed in 33 cases (63%). Dialysis was required for 19 patients (36.5%). Independent risk factors associated with AKI were abdominal trauma [odds ratio (OR) = 3.66, P = 0.027] and use of furosemide (OR = 4.10, P = 0.026). Patients were classified according to RIFLE criteria as Risk in 12 cases (23%), Injury in 13 (25%), Failure in 24 (46%), Loss in 1 (2%) and End-stage in 2 (4%). Overall in-hospital mortality was 95.3%. The main cause of death was sepsis (24%). Mortality was 100% among patients with AKI. CONCLUSIONS: AKI is a fatal complication after trauma, which presented with a high mortality in the studied population. A better comprehension of factors associated with death in trauma-associated AKI is important, and more effective measures of prevention and treatment of AKI in this population are urgently needed.