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Non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs and acute renal disease: A case control study
Author(s) -
Beard Keith,
Lawson David H.,
MacFarlane Gary J.
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
pharmacoepidemiology and drug safety
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.023
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1099-1557
pISSN - 1053-8569
DOI - 10.1002/pds.2630010103
Subject(s) - medicine , pharmacoepidemiology , pharmacology , disease , intensive care medicine , medical prescription
Objectives: To quantify the risk of acute renal disease in patients exposed to non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Design: Matched case control study. Subjects: All patients who underwent renal biopsy in Glasgow Royal Infirmary and the Western Infirmary, Glasgow, in 1986 and 1987 were considered as possible cases. Patients with chronic disease, with disease that was clearly not drug‐related, and whose records could not be traced were excluded. For each case in the final group, two controls were matched for age, sex and general practice. All drug exposures in the year before the diagnosis of renal disease were obtained from the general practitioners' records. Results: 27 of the 88 cases (31%) and 38 of the 176 controls (22%) were exposed to NSAIDs (odds ratio (OR) = 1.6; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.9, 3.0). No difference in exposure to bronchodilators, tranquillizers, antihistamines or antacids was found between cases and controls. A significant increase in OR was found with histamine (H2) receptor blockers. Of cases where interstitial nephritis was part of the pathological appearance, two were thought to be definitely and six possibly related to NSAIDs. Conclusions: The present study shows that in previously healthy persons, the risk of clinically apparent acute renal disease caused by these commonly used drugs is likely to be extremely small. The attributable risk of acute renal disease is of the order of one case in 100,000 patients treated with NSAIDs.