Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor-associated minimal-change disease

Selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors are relatively newer anti-inflammatory drugs that produce comparable antiinflammatory and analgesic effects to the nonselective nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); but with fewer symptomatic gastric and duodenal ulcers. Limited data are available concerning the toxicity associated with COX-2 inhibitors outside the gastrointestinal tract. The NSAIDs have been known for their nephrotoxic potentials including minimal-change disease (MCD) with interstitial nephritis. Although the recent data suggests that COX-2 inhibitors may have the same adverse renal effect as NSAIDs, there is only one case report describing minimal change disease and acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) associated with a COX-2 inhibitor, celecoxib. We are reporting a case of MCD and acute tubular necrosis (ATN) but without interstitial nephritis in a patient treated with celecoxib. Although the proteinuria in our patient resolved completely after discontinuation of celecoxib, the renal function did not. We suggest that heightened suspicion of this side effect of COX-2 inhibitors should be maintained in all patients taking this class of drugs who present with nephrotic syndrome.