Impact of urolithiasis and hydronephrosis on acute kidney injury in patients with urinary tract infection

Background: Urolithiasis is a common cause of urinary tract obstruction and urinary tract infection (UTI). This study aimed to identify whether urolithiasis with or without hydronephrosis has an impact on acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with UTI. Methods and findings : This retrospective study enrolled hospitalized UTI patients who underwent imaging in an acute care setting from January 2006 to April 2019. Of the 1113 participants enrolled, 191 (17.2%) had urolithiasis and 76 (6.8%) had ureteral stone complicated with hydronephrosis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that in UTI patients with urolithiasis, the presence of ureteral stone with concomitant hydronephrosis was an independent risk factor for AKI (odds ratio [OR] 2.345, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.128–4.876, P = 0.023). In addition, urolithiasis was associated with an increased risk for AKI (OR 2.484, 95% CI 1.398–4.415, P = 0.002) in UTI patients without hydronephrosis. Conclusion: The presence of ureteral stone with hydronephrosis increases the risk for AKI of UTI patients with urolithiasis, and urolithiasis remains a risk factor of AKI in UTI patients without hydronephrosis.