Pain Relievers Raise Risk of Kidney Failure

By Michelle Rizzo

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The risk of developing kidney failure is increased among patients who use nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as Motrin (ibuprofen) or aspirin, according to report from Spain. The risk is heightened in patients with high blood pressure or heart failure.

Dr. Consuelo Huerta, from Centro Espanol de Investigacion Farmacoepidemiologica, Madrid, and colleagues used the General Practice Research Database from the United Kingdom to assess the risk for nonfatal kidney failure associated with NSAID use.

As reported in the American Journal of Kidney Diseases, the analysis included 103 patients with kidney failure and 5,000 subjects without kidney problems.

NSAID use tripled the risk of kidney failure compared with nonuse, Huerta told Reuters Health. Still, the risk of kidney failure in NSAID users was very small and returned to normal when the drug was stopped.

The investigators found that a history of heart failure, high blood pressure, diabetes, and hospitalizations in the previous year were associated with a greater risk for kidney failure. The associated risk was increased further when diuretics (water pills) and heart drugs called calcium channel blockers were used.

SOURCE: American Journal of Kidney Diseases, March 2005.

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