[Immunoallergic acute haemolysis, thrombocytopaenia and acute renal insufficiency due to treatment with catechines (author's transl)].

The authors report the case of a 25-year-old patient who during discontinuous treatment with a venotropic agent containing catechines suffered from intravascular haemolysis, thrombocytopaenia and acute renal failure, the course of which was favourable with treatment by haemodialysis. Renal biopsy revealed lesions of acute tubulonephritis with a slight interstitial reaction but without immune deposits. The demonstration in the serum and on the red cells of the patient of anti-catechine antibodies confirmed the immunoallergic nature of the haemolysis. The existence of crossed allergy with another venotropic agent, leucocyanide, led to suspicion of the localisation of the antigenic site on the 3-4 dihydroxyphenyl portion of the catechine molecule.