Patients with cirrhosis treated with NSAIDs may develop severe acute kidney injury which may be irreversible and associated with poor short term outcome. - GreenMedInfo Summary

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may cause impairment of kidney function in patients with cirrhosis. Investigational studies demonstrated reversibility of kidney dysfunction after drug withdrawal, but information based on clinical practice is lacking. Study aim was to investigate the characteristics and outcome of Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) developing in patients with cirrhosis treated with NSAIDs.

METHODS: Prospective cohort study in a tertiary referral centre of all patients with NSAIDs-associated AKI seen from 2002 to 2014. For comparison, three control groups of patients with hypovolemic-induced AKI, type-1 HRS and ATN, respectively, were also evaluated. Urinary excretion of neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) was measured in a subset of patients.

RESULTS: Thirty patients with cirrhosis and NSAIDs-associated AKI were identified. In 19 patients (63%) AKI was transient and kidney function rapidly recovered (4±3 days) after NSAIDs withdrawal. In the remaining 11 patients (37%) AKI was more severe and persisted during hospitalization despite drug withdrawal. Patients with persistent AKI had remarkably higher uNGAL levels compared with those of patients with transient AKI (953±1,198 vs 83±79 μg/gr of creatinine, respectively, p=0.008). Moreover, 7 of the 11 patients with persistent AKI (64%) died within three months compared with only 1 of the 19 (5%) patients with transient AKI (p=0.001). Mortality of persistent AKI was similar in NSAIDs patients compared to control groups. The only independentpredictive factor of 3-month mortality was persistent AKI.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with cirrhosis treated with NSAIDs may develop severe AKI which may be irreversible and associated with poor short-term outcome.