May 29, 2019 – Reacting Kidneys

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Anchor lead: A common cause of acute kidney injury is common drugs, Elizabeth Tracey reports

A type of allergic reaction in the kidneys known as acute interstitial nephritis may be the cause of up to one in five hospitalizations for kidney problems, and now a new blood test developed by Chirag Parikh and colleagues at Johns Hopkins may help make the diagnosis much easier. Parikh says the condition can be caused by common medications.

Parikh: There are over 100 drugs that have been linked to allergic reactions in the kidney. The common ones are antibiotics, the most common one in the population may be antacids. Like Prevacid and omeprazole where the kidneys are getting harmed because of these allergic reactions. The NSAIDS, the painkillers, can also cause these reactions in certain people and these are available over the counter. :26

Parikh says the good news is that the kidney will usually rebound once the drug is stopped, but says such reactions can occur even if someone has taken these drugs for years. He notes that increasing age and the presence of other health conditions are also factors. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.