RESUMO
Factors leading to acute renal failure [ARF] were analysed in 376 consecutive patients between January 1993 and December, 1994 in a Karachi centre. Two hundred and sixteen [57%] had medical conditions, 86 [24%] obstetrical, 28 [7%] obstructive, 18 [5%] surgical and in 28 [7%] the causes were uncertain. Within the medical group, the causes were diarrhoea 30%, drugs 23%, malaria 15% and liver disease 5%. In the obstetrical group majority of the patients had multiple etiologies. Sixty percent of patients had ante-partum haemorrhage, 33% post-partum haemorrhage, intrauterine deaths were seen in 31%, septic abortions in 20% and pre-eclamptic toxemia in 22% cases. In the obstructive group, most of the patients had stone disease, where bilateral ureteric calculi constituted 57% of the cases. In surgical group, 11 [61%] had ARF due to post-operative complications. This data confirms the pattern of ARF from other third world countries where obstetrical and obstructive causes are high as compared to western countries