Nephrotic syndrome and acute interstitial nephritis associated with the use of diclofenac

Commonly reported renal complications of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) include acute renal failure and/or acute interstitial nephritis; in rare cases a nephrotic syndrome was also observed. In most cases this was due to the development of secondary membranous nephropathy. Following withdrawal of the drug the nephrotic syndrome usually resolved rapidly. We report a 65-year-old woman who developed a nephrotic syndrome and acute renal failure during 6 months of treatment with the NSAID diclofenac. Renal biopsy revealed both, membranous nephropathy and interstitial nephritis. After discontinuation of diclofenac and treatment with prednisone 1 mg/kg/day, furosemide 400 mg/day and simvastatin at a dose of 20 mg/day, creatinine clearance gradually increased and after 5 months of treatment complete remission of the nephrotic syndrome was observed.