Acute kidney injury due to tropical infectious diseases and animal venoms – a tale of two continents

Journal article

South and Southeast Asia and Latin American together comprise 46 countries and are home to about 40% of the world population. The sociopolitical and economic heterogeneity, tropical climate and malady transitions characteristic of the region strongly influence disease behavior and healthcare delivery. AKI epidemiology mirrors these inequalities. In addition to hospital-acquired AKI in tertiary care centers, these countries face a large preventable burden of community-acquired AKI secondary to tropical infectious diseases or animal venoms, affecting previously healthy young individuals. This manuscript reviews the epidemiology, clinical picture, prevention, risk factors and pathophysiology of AKI associated with tropical diseases (malaria, dengue, leptospirosis, scrub typhus, and yellow fever) and animal venom (snakes, bees, caterpillars, spiders and scorpions) in tropical regions of Asia and Latin America, and discusses the potential future challenges due to emerging issues.

Authors: Burdmann, E; Jha, V

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Journal: Kidney International
• Volume: 91
• Issue: 5
• Pages: 1033–1046
• Publication date: 2017-01-12
• Acceptance date: 2016-09-29
• DOI: 10.1016/j.kint.2016.09.051
• EISSN: 1523-1755
• ISSN: 0085-2538
• Keywords: acute kidney injury; tropical infectious diseases; animal venom; Asia; emerging issues; Latin-America