Chyluria: a Scourge of Our Region
Overview
Affiliations
Chyluria is endemic in the Gangetic belt of India with an average of 90 cases treated annually at our institute. It is almost exclusively caused by Wuchereria bancrofti in tropical areas. Chylomicrons and triglycerides are lost in the urine from an abnormal lymphourinary fistula due to obstructive lymphatic stasis, most commonly at the renal pelvis. It is a distressingly recurrent condition with multiple exacerbations and remissions over years. Severe weakness, weight loss and haematuria occur in some patients. Diagnosis can be made by visual examination of milky urine along with the ether test of urine for chylomicrons. Intravenous urography is used to locate the site of the fistula, although the detection rate is poor. Treatment starts with conservative measures such as a high-protein low-fat diet and diethylcarbamazine therapy. In cases where conservative measures fail, endoscopic sclerotherapy (renal pelvic instillation of silver nitrate, povidone iodine or others) and surgical therapy are used.
Severe filarial chyluria Managed successfully with sclerotherapy: A case report from Sudan.
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PMID: 39925746 PMC: 11803154. DOI: 10.1016/j.eucr.2025.102961.
Central Lymphatic Imaging in Adults with Spontaneous Chyluria.
Hoa T, Cuong N, Hoan N, Quang Trung N, My T, Anh N Int J Gen Med. 2024; 17:2489-2495.
PMID: 38826506 PMC: 11143993. DOI: 10.2147/IJGM.S459768.
Chyluria secondary to disseminated tuberculosis in a 13-year-old female child: A case report.
Bhatta M, Subedi R, Shah A, Baral R, Rauniyar L, Shrestha S Clin Case Rep. 2023; 11(11):e8169.
PMID: 38028071 PMC: 10643320. DOI: 10.1002/ccr3.8169.
Chyluria: non-enhanced MR lymphography.
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PMID: 37405513 PMC: 10322811. DOI: 10.1186/s13244-023-01461-2.
Chyluria Associated With Nephrotic-Range Proteinuria.
Kaur A, Kandari S, Saini S, Dhoot D, Kandari A Cureus. 2022; 14(7):e26690.
PMID: 35959171 PMC: 9359605. DOI: 10.7759/cureus.26690.