Nephrotoxicity of selective COX-2 inhibitors

J Rheumatol. 2001 Sep;28(9):2133-5.

Abstract

We describe 2 male patients, a 49-year-old with psoriatic arthritis and impaired renal function and a 43-year-old renal transplant recipient, who both sustained a marked decline in glomerular filtration rate in conjunction with a selective inhibitor of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), rofecoxib. In the second patient, acute renal failure necessitated hemodialysis. Both patients made an uneventful recovery. Our report lends further support to the assumption that COX-2 inhibitors, as a class, can be as nephrotoxic as their nonselective predecessors. Therefore, COX-2 inhibitors should be used with caution in renal transplant recipients and in patients with salt depletion and renal insufficiency.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Acute Kidney Injury / chemically induced*
  • Acute Kidney Injury / therapy
  • Adult
  • Arthritis, Psoriatic / diagnosis
  • Arthritis, Psoriatic / drug therapy*
  • Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / adverse effects*
  • Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors / therapeutic use
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Kidney / drug effects*
  • Kidney Function Tests
  • Kidney Transplantation
  • Lactones / adverse effects*
  • Lactones / therapeutic use
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Osteoarthritis / diagnosis
  • Osteoarthritis / drug therapy*
  • Renal Dialysis / methods
  • Risk Assessment
  • Sulfones

Substances

  • Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors
  • Lactones
  • Sulfones
  • rofecoxib