Emphysematous pyelonephritis in a patient infected with the human immunodeficiency virus

Abstract EN

Emphysematous pyelonephritis (EPN) is a rapidly progressive and life-threatening infection that is seen most commonly in persons with diabetes.

The infecting organisms usually consist of mixed flora, including Escherichia coli (68 %), Klebsiella pneumoniae (9 %) and Proteus mirabilis.

Females are affected twice as often as men, and mortality rates can be as high as 80 %.

Obstructive uropathy, urinary calculi, calyceal stenosis and neoplasms are significant predisposing factors.

We report a case of EPN in a patient with the human immunodeficiency virus infection, without diabetes mellitus or urinary tract obstruction, which responded remarkably to conservative management with antibiotics alone.