heroin and Nephritis--Interstitial

Drug abuse has become a major problem of the modern world where drug-induced kidney injury can be caused by both prescribed drugs for clinical conditions and illegal (illicit) drugs or drugs of abuse. Heroin, cocaine, nicotine and alcohol are the most commonly abused drugs but with the emergence of various synthetic drugs, numerous novel descriptions of their nephrotoxic effects have been described. This review summarizes the key renal manifestations of recreational drugs as reported in case reports and case. A comprehensive review of published case reports and case series in English language of renal toxicity related to recreational drugs/drugs of abuse was conducted using search engines like PubMed/Medline. Publications which reported renal injury with raised creatinine levels, clinically symptomatic patients, those with oliguria and with renal biopsies are chosen. The medical literature on recreational drugs is full of claims of renal complications including different glomerular diseases, acute kidney injury, rhabdomyolysis, interstitial nephritis, and debilitating irreversible conditions like renal infarction and end stage renal disease, even though the pathogenesis of drug- related renal manifestations are not available for all the newer agents. The outcome of this review paper will help multidisciplinary physicians to understand the renal side effects of recreational drugs, their pathophysiology, and most importantly, the clinical presentations of renal dysfunction in relation each drug. Emphasizing these adverse effects will prevent future unfavorable outcomes.

Topics: Cocaine; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; Heroin; Humans; Illicit Drugs; Kidney; Nephritis, Interstitial

Drug abuse is widespread in many populations, and patients abusing illicit substances are at a significantly increased risk of kidney injury. The tubulointerstitial compartment is a common target of these nephrotoxic agents. This review will cover some of the common illicit drugs and will focus on the tubulointerstitial injuries seen in the setting of drug abuse. Agents addressed in this review are synthetic cannabinoids, "bath salts," ecstasy, anabolic steroids, inhaled solvents, heroin, and cocaine. The most frequent biopsy findings are those of acute tubular necrosis and acute interstitial nephritis. Unfortunately, histology is often unable to sufficiently narrow the differential diagnosis and point to a single likely cause. A high suspicion for drug abuse as a potential cause of kidney injury is needed to identify the patients for whom this is the cause of their kidney failure. Toxicology screens are often of little use in identifying patients using emerging drugs of abuse.

Topics: Administration, Inhalation; Alkaloids; Cannabinoids; Cocaine; Heroin; Humans; Illicit Drugs; N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; Nephritis, Interstitial; Solvents; Testosterone Congeners

Topics: Animals; Anti-Glomerular Basement Membrane Disease; Anti-Inflammatory Agents; Antibodies; Captopril; Drug Hypersensitivity; Environmental Exposure; Glomerulonephritis; Gold; Heroin; Humans; Hydrocarbons; Hypersensitivity, Delayed; Hypersensitivity, Immediate; Immune Complex Diseases; Kidney Diseases; Kidney Glomerulus; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic; Mercury; Nephritis, Interstitial; Penicillamine; Penicillins; Rifampin