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. 2023 Sep 15;10(10):003924.
doi: 10.12890/2023_003924. eCollection 2023.

Acyclovir-Induced Glomerulonephritis in a 40-year-old Woman Without Medical History: A Case Report

Marie-Justine Desrumaux  1 , Céline Vanfraechem  1 , Elien Mahieu  1
Affiliations

Acyclovir-Induced Glomerulonephritis in a 40-year-old Woman Without Medical History: A Case Report

Marie-Justine Desrumaux et al. Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. .

Abstract

Well-known side effects of acyclovir are nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. We present a 49-year-old woman without pre-existing renal failure, with an acute kidney injury and encephalopathy. Since there was a clear correlation with the intake of acyclovir and the course of illness, findings were attributed to the antiviral agent. Urinalysis showed a proteinuria in nephrotic ranges, which is not described in the currently known causes of acyclovir-induced renal failure. We postulate the hypothesis of a nephritis with podocyte damage induced by acyclovir or, more likely, by an acyclovir metabolite.

Learning points: Presentation of a case of acute kidney injury, with haematuria and proteinuria in nephrotic ranges, after acyclovir administration. These findings suggest glomerular involvement; we postulate a hypothesis of a nephritis with podocyte damage.Observation of associated mild encephalopathy in a patient without pre-existing kidney failure.Toxic mechanism of glomerular damage and combined encephalopathy. This should be further investigated.

Keywords: Acyclovir; acute kidney disease; encephalopathy.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interests: The Authors declare that there are no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Evolution of kidney function eGFR (ml/min/1.73m2) and acyclovir as a function of time
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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