Transient renal glucosuria in patients with tetanus.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: During our early years of experience with patients suffering from tetanus, some of them were found to have unexplained renal glucosuria.

METHODS

Thus, all the normoglycemic patients with tetanus who were consecutively encountered over the subsequent 8 years were studied for the presence of renal glucosuria.

RESULTS

From 92 cases of tetanus admitted to the intensive-care unit, 63 patients had normal blood sugar in the course of their illness. The quantitative measurement of 24-hour urine confirmed the presence of significant renal glucosuria in 52% (n = 33) of these cases. The renal glucosuria was of transient nature and decreased to normal levels in the recovery stage (4 weeks after discharge from the hospital). There was no significant difference in age, sex, severity of disease and site of entry between the two groups of the patients with and without renal glucosuria.

CONCLUSION

Significant but transient glucosuria of renal origin possibly induced by tetanospasmin is common in patients with tetanus.