FEATURES OF TERMINAL ANALGESIC-ASSOCIATED NEPHROPATHY

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  • 1 January 1985
    • journal article
    • research article
    • Vol. 115  (23) , 790-795
Abstract
The diagnosis of analgesic-associated nephropathy (AAN) may be missed because of the patient''s denial or regular analgesic intake. A cross-sectional study of 144 patients was performed to investigate differences between the 48 patients with AAN (33%) and patients with other kidney diseases who served as controls to find other attributes of analgesic users relating to social history, habits and morbidity. Dialysis patients with AAN were significantly older (60 .+-. 10 vs. 52 .+-. 15 yr) and more frequently women (65% vs. 37%) compared with controls; they often had a family history of analgesic abuse. Comparison with an age-matched control group of hemodialysis patients with other kidney diseases showed that AAN patients smoked, used hypnotics and laxatives, and required prescriptions significantly more frequently; they were less frequently willing to undergo renal transplantation. With regard to accompanying diseases, they suffered significantly more than the age-matched controls from anemia, renal osteodystrophy, peptic ulcer disease, diverticulosis, hemorrhoids, atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease, hyperlipidemia, carpal tunnel syndrome and urinary tract infections. The characteristic pattern of habits, social history and accompanying diseases may facilitate the diagnosis of AAN even in cases when analgesic consumption is denied.