A child with post streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis complicated by hypertensive encephalopachy.

Abstract

  Although prognosis of post-streptococcal acute glomerulonephritis (PSAGN) in childhood is generally thought to be benign, it may show fatal outcome due to acute renal failure, congestive heart failure and hypertensive encephalopathy (HE). We here present a 9-year-old girl with PSAGN associated with HE manifested by status epilepticus. She was transferred to our hospital and had been successfully treated by anti-epileptic drugs and continuous drip infusion of intravenous anti-hypertensive agent, nicardipine hydrocholoride. As prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential to manage HE, this condition should be listed in the differential diagnosis in the childhood convulsions. Nicardipine hydrochloride has been recently reported to be safe and effective to manage the condition caused by severe hypertension such as HE even in children: this was also effective in our case and may be one of the drugs for hypertensive emergency.