Early Prediction of Acute Kidney Injury by Clinical Features of Snakebite Patients at the Time of Hospital Admission

BACKGROUND: Snakebite is a major health problem in India. Venomous snakebite, which is an important medical hazard in several tropical countries including India, affects thousands of people per year and some of them develop acute kidney injury (AKI). AIMS: This study was performed to find out 1) early clinical predictors for acute kidney injury in snakebite patients at the time of hospital admission and 2) incidence of acute kidney injury in snakebite patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 171 consecutively admitted non-diabetic, non-hypertensive snakebite patients were examined. Multivariate linear regression analysis with 95 percent confidence interval (CI) was done for statistical analysis. Analyses were performed by software Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (17(th) version for Windows). RESULTS: Incidence of acute kidney injury was 43.27%. Development of acute kidney injury was independently associated with 20 min whole blood clotting test (20 min WBCT) (P value = 0.029; CI 95%), dark or brown color urine (P value = 0.000; CI 95%), and time interval between snakebite and anti-snake venom administration (P value = 0.000; CI 95%). Age (P value = 0.011; CI 95%) and presence of neurological signs (P value = 0.000; CI 95%) were negatively correlated with development of acute kidney injury. CONCLUSION: Incidence of acute kidney injury is slightly higher in our study than previous studies. Early prediction of acute kidney injury development in snakebite patients can be done by presence of black or brown urine, 20 min WBCT > 20 min, and increased time interval between snakebite and administration of anti-snake venom at the time of hospital admission. Young age group of snakebite patients develops acute kidney injury more commonly.