Acute renal failure in a patient suffering from chronic alcoholism.

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are common in adults and are known to cause deterioration in renal function in patients with chronic renal impairment, solitary kidneys and renal transplants. Acute non-obstructive pyelonephritis is rarely considered in the differential diagnosis of acute renal failure (ARF), especially in patients with little or no evidence of previous kidney disease. Diagnosis is particularly difficult if the infection is asymptomatic. Chronic alcohol abuse increases the risk of ARF in unobstructed acute pyelonephritis [1] and is a rare cause of renal papillary necrosis [2,3]. We present an unusual case of asymptomatic acute pyelonephritis in combination with renal papillary necrosis in an otherwise well individual with a history of substantial alcohol abuse.