Abstract
The kidney, due to its prominent role in major excretory pathways, is particularly prone to the aggression of medications, especially antimicrobial drugs. Our objective was to specify the clinical indications and additional factors predisposing for nephrotoxicity. From our personal experience we have seen about 30 cases of acute renal failure (ARF) induced by antimicrobial drugs, as reviewed by authors in the literature. ARF is the most common clinical presentation of this nephrotoxicity, with predominance of non-oliguric forms (80%). Aminoglycosides are mainly implicated (70%). These impairments are reversible in 76.7% of patients. The signs of systemic allergia are particularly observed with the group of penicillins. Ninety percent of our patients had at least one of these risk factors commonly recognized old age, chronic renal failure, overdosage, cardiac failure, hypovolemia, association with other nephrotoxic drugs, and diabetes. All of these indications must be monitored in order to rapidly detect renal side effects. (C) 1999 Elsevier; Paris.