Background: Malaria has protean clinical manifestations and acute kidney injury (AKI) is one of its serious and life threatening complications. This study was carried out to describe the clinical characteristics, and factors associated with adverse outcomes, in patients with malarial AKI. Materials and Methods: Data of 100 patients with AKI and smear positive malaria was retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the incidence, clinical profile, outcome and predictors of mortality among all cases presented to us at the Nephrology unit of Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh between November 2010 to October 2011. Results were expressed as mean, standard deviation (SD) and range. Results: One hundred (22.1%) (68 males, 32 females) cases of malaria induced AKI, amongst 452 total cases of AKI, were evaluated. The mean age (± SD) was 30 ± 11.23 years. Male to female ratio was 3.3:1. Plasmodium falciparum was reported in 76%, P. vivax in 11%, and both in 13% patients. The mean serum creatinine was 8.7 ± 3.7 mg%, and oligo/anuria was present in 84% of the patients. 78% of the patients required hemodialysis. 67% of the patients recovered completely, 12% did not show full recovery, and 6% developed chronic kidney failure. Mortality occurred in 15% of the patients. Conclusion : Malarial AKI most commonly occurs in patients infected by Plasmodium Falciparum. Falciparum malaria associated with AKI is a life threatening condition. Prolonged disease duration, low hemoglobin, oligo/anuria on admission, hyperbilirubinemia, cerebral malaria, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and high serum creatinine were the main predictors of mortality in our study.
