Background: Acute renal failure (ARF) is an uncommon but alarming complication of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome. The renal failure could be secondary to causes evident from the history and evaluation, such as severe intravascular volume depletion, acute tubular necrosis but there is no report on this population in Vietnamese adult patients. Objective: To investigate on acute renal failure complicating of nephrotic syndrome. Subjects and method: Patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who were admitted with acute renal failure have been enrolled to investigate the clinical findings, laboratory check up and histology examination. Results:We present 33 patients with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome who were admitted with acute renal failure between June 1997 and June 1998. We describe the clinical and renal pathology features of these patients in whom reversible idiopathic acute renal failure developed during the course of primary nephrotic syndrome (PNS). Improvement in renal function occurred in 80% of patients over a variable period of 10 days to 14 days. The histology findings are interstitial edema, tubular obstruction. Conclusions: Acute renal failure complicating of nephritic syndrome is reversible, the exact pathophysiology of ARF is not understood. Possible causes include edema, tubular obstruction, altered glomerular permeability, and unrecognized hypovolemia.
Acute Kidney Injury/ pathology Nephrotic Syndrome ; Adult