NSAIDs Increase Risk of Pediatric Acute Kidney Injury

SAN DIEGO—Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are associated with pediatric acute kidney injury (AKI), according to a study presented at Kidney Week 2012.

In a retrospective study of the Department of Defense database that examined patients younger than 18 years, Mark Poirier, MD, and Kevin Abbott, MD, of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, MD, identified 10,065 outpatient prescriptions for NSAIDs. Among them were 5,540 cases of pediatric AKI within 90 days of receiving the prescription. NSAID use was associated with a 3.3 times increased risk of AKI.

A subpopulation analysis found that African Americans and male subjects prescribed NSAIDs had a twofold increased risk of AKI.

The researchers defined pediatric AKI as a 50% increase in serum creatinine above baseline values.