[Renal involvements in human immunodeficiency virus infection].

Two main types of renal disorder may affect the HIV-infected patients. The first type characterized by acute renal failure is not related directly to HIV infection, but results from complications secondary to diagnosis and therapeutic intervention in patients with severe immunodepression. The second type of renal complication includes three quite specific histological renal patterns. The typical "HIV-associated nephropathy" (HIVN), involves essentially the black population, both in Europe (84%) and in North America (83%) and could represent a pathogen-induced disease occurring on a specific genetic background. The two other types of nephropathy, i.e. immune complex-type glomerulonephritis and tubulointerstitial nephritis, involve both black and white seropositive populations and might be the consequence of dysregulation of the immune system.