Community acquired AKI: A prospective observational study from a tertiary level hospital in Southern India

Introduction: Pattern of acute kidney injury (AKI) differs vastly from region to region in India. Moreover, prospective data on community-acquired AKI (CAAKI) using the KDIGO criteria for AKI are limited. Our objective was to study the etiology, clinical characteristics, and short-term outcome of CAAKI in adults. Methods: This was a prospective observational study in the medical wards of a tertiary care hospital. Patients fulfilling the 2012 KDIGO AKI criteria of community acquired acute kidney injury (CAAKI) were included. Patients who developed AKI 48 hours after admission, those hospitalized >48 hours elsewhere, and patients with chronic kidney disease were excluded. The study did not include obstetric or surgical cases of AKI. Serum creatinine and urine output was monitored. Daily progress, in particular development of hypotension, oliguria, acute respiratory distress syndrome, sepsis, and renal replacement therapy, was noted. Results: Of 186 CAAKI patients (mean age, 46.13 ± 15.2 years), 86/186 was infective etiology, 93/186 was non-infective etiology, 7/186 was due to intrinsic renal pathology. Pyelonephritis 33/186 (17.7%) was the most common infective etiology, and snakebite in 49 (26.3%) was the most common non-infective etiology; 28/186 (15.1%) died. On logistic regression, hypotension, mechanical ventilation, thrombocytopenia, and anuria were associated with mortality. Conclusions: Acute pyelonephritis and snakebite-related AKI emerged as the two most common medical causes of CAAKI in our region. Such environmental and infectious causes that largely are preventable causes of AKI are also associated with significant morbidity and mortality.