Neurotoxicity can develop as a side effect of intravenous acyclovir use in patients with renal impairment. It is underreported in clinical practice and often confused with worsening herpes encephalitis. We present a 69-year-old woman with end-stage renal disease on hemodialysis with acyclovir neurotoxicity treated with daily extended hemodialysis sessions. Daily hemodialysis for extended period may shorten the neurotoxicity period and can help with faster return to normal mentation. A high index of suspicion is warranted to diagnose acyclovir-induced neurotoxicity.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/MJT.0000000000000093 | DOI Listing |
Clin Case Rep
August 2024
Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences Tehran Iran.
Acyclovir can cause neurotoxicity and nephrotoxicity, especially in diabetic patients with renal impairment. Consider acyclovir dose adjustment, close monitoring of kidney function, and hemodialysis as a potential therapeutic option in such cases.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Herpes encephalitis, a rare yet potentially fatal viral infection, is treated exclusively with acyclovir, the sole antiviral medication used for this condition. Acyclovir recommended dose is 10 mg/kg/dose intravenous every 8 hours; however, it is unclear what body weight should be utilized in obese patients. Using the ideal body weight may result in subtherapeutic ineffective concentrations, while utilizing the actual body weight might result in acyclovir induced adverse effects, either nephrotoxicity or neurotoxicity or both.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCureus
January 2024
Diabetes and Endocrinology, Peterborough City Hospital, Peterborough, GBR.
Acyclovir is a widely used antiviral agent used to treat viral meningitis. Although well tolerated, on rare occasions, it can cause severe nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. It is recommended that the dose of intravenous acyclovir be calculated based on the ideal body weight for height rather than the actual weight in obese patients to avoid excessive dosage.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur J Case Rep Intern Med
September 2023
Department of Nephrology, AZ Glorieux, Ronse, Belgium.
Unlabelled: Well-known side effects of acyclovir are nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity. We present a 49-year-old woman without pre-existing renal failure, with an acute kidney injury and encephalopathy. Since there was a clear correlation with the intake of acyclovir and the course of illness, findings were attributed to the antiviral agent.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIndian J Nephrol
April 2021
Department of Nephrology, SRIHER, Porur, Tamil Nadu, India.
Advanced age and immunosuppressed states allow for complications of herpes zoster such as encephalitis. In this case report, we describe a patient with encephalopathy two days after initiation of antiviral therapy. After the necessary imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis, it became evident that the neurological syndrome was due to acyclovir.
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