rifampin and Oliguria

A male born in 1935 was diagnosed as having lepromatous leprosy when he was 17 years old. In addition to dapsone (DDS) monotherapy, he had been treated with rifampin (RMP) for 2 terms: first with 450 mg a day for 2 years when he was 39 years old; second with 150 mg a day for 2 months after a 1-year interval from the first regimen. During these entire courses with RMP, no complication was noted. When he was 64 years old in 1999, a diagnosis of relapsed borderline tuberculoid (BT) leprosy was made, and he was started on the multibacillary (MB) regimen of the World Health Organization multidrug therapy (WHO/MDT). After the third dose of monthly RMP, he developed a flu-like syndrome and went into shock. A few hours later, intravascular hemolysis occurred followed by acute renal failure. He was placed on hemodialysis for 7 series and recovered almost completely about 2 months later. The immune complexes with anti-RMP antibody followed by complement binding may have accounted for these symptoms. Twenty-four reported cases of leprosy who had developed side effects of RMP under an intermittent regimen were analyzed; 9 of the cases had had prior treatment with RMP but 15 had not. Adverse effects were more likely to occur in MB cases and were more frequent during the first 6 doses of intermittent regimens. The cases with prior treatment with RMP had had a higher incidence of serious complications such as marked hypotension, hemolysis and acute renal failure. However, many exceptions were also found, and we could not verify any fully dependable factor(s) to predict the side effects of RMP. More field investigation is desirable, and monthly administration of RMP must be conducted under direct observation through the course of WHO/MDT.

Topics: Adrenal Cortex Hormones; Anaphylaxis; Blood Chemical Analysis; Diuretics; Furosemide; Hemolysis; Humans; Leprostatic Agents; Leprosy, Lepromatous; Leprosy, Tuberculoid; Male; Middle Aged; Oliguria; Recurrence; Renal Dialysis; Rifampin

Acute renal failure (ARF) caused by rifampicin typically occurs on intermittent administration. There are isolated case reports and only one series reported in the literature. Systematic data, especially from countries endemic for tuberculosis and leprosy, are sparse.. We studied demographic, clinical, biochemical, and histopathologic features and prognosis of 25 consecutive patients with rifampicin-associated ARF admitted from July 1990 to June 2000.. Rifampicin-associated ARF constituted 2.5% of all cases of ARF seen during the study period. The most common pattern of drug intake resulting in ARF (40%) was ingestion of a single dose preceded by a drug-free period (range, 10 days to 6 years) after a course of daily rifampicin (range, 8 days to 18 months). Onset was with gastrointestinal and flu-like symptoms 4 hours (median) after drug intake. All patients were oliguric. Anemia and thrombocytopenia each occurred in 60% of patients. Acute hepatitis was present in 32%. Among 12 patients who underwent kidney biopsy, 7 patients (58%) had acute interstitial nephritis (AIN). Crescentic glomerulonephritis was seen in 1 patient, and mesangial proliferation, in 3 patients. No single feature at presentation predicted the severity of renal failure. There were no deaths, and all patients recovered renal function.. Patients with rifampicin-associated ARF were oliguric and presented with gastrointestinal and flu-like symptoms, typically after reintroduction of the drug after a drug-free period. Anemia and thrombocytopenia were common. AIN was the most common biopsy finding. No factor predicted severity, but the renal prognosis was good.

Topics: Acute Kidney Injury; Adult; Aged; Antibiotics, Antitubercular; Drug Administration Schedule; Female; Humans; Leprosy; Male; Middle Aged; Oliguria; Prognosis; Rifampin; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node