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[DRUG-INDUCED BILATERAL NEPHROLITHIASIS IN AN ULCERATIVE COLITIS PATIENT: A CASE REPORT]
Kohei Ogawa1, Kazushige Sakaguchi1, Suguru Oka1
1Department of Urology, Toranomon Hospital.
Insights
Salazosulfapyridine (SASP) can induce kidney stones in patients with ulcerative colitis. Switching medication to mesalazine and increasing urinary alkalization resolved the stones.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Pharmacology
- Gastroenterology
Background:
- Ulcerative colitis (UC) management often involves long-term medication.
- Salazosulfapyridine (SASP) is a common treatment for UC.
- Drug-induced urolithiasis is a potential adverse effect of certain medications.
Observation:
- A 59-year-old female with UC on long-term SASP presented with hematuria and back pain due to bilateral renal pelvic calculi.
- Initial treatment for presumed uric acid stones was ineffective, and stones enlarged.
- Infrared spectroscopy confirmed SASP as the cause of drug-induced urolithiasis.
Findings:
- Salazosulfapyridine (SASP) directly caused drug-induced urolithiasis in a patient with ulcerative colitis.
- The renal pelvic calculi significantly enlarged despite initial treatment.
- Successful resolution of stones was achieved by switching to mesalazine and increasing urinary alkalization.
Implications:
- Clinicians should consider drug-induced urolithiasis in patients on SASP presenting with unexplained kidney stones.
- Discontinuation of the offending drug and appropriate supportive care can resolve SASP-induced stones.
- This case highlights the importance of medication review in patients with recurrent urolithiasis.
Abstract:
A 59-year-old female experienced gross hematuria and right back pain, and she visited our hospital in March 2015. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) showed bilateral renal pelvic calculi; the right stone was 15 mm and the left stone was 18 mm in diameter. She had ulcerative colitis and had been taking salazosulfapyridine (SASP) for about 30 years. Urinalysis showed aciduria and deposition of urate crystals. An abdominal X-ray picture did not show a calculus shadow. We suspected uric acid calculus and started treatment with urinary alkalizer and uric acid production inhibitor.Three months later, abdominal CT showed enlargement of the bilateral renal pelvic calculi; the right stone was 25 mm and the left stone was 24 mm in diameter. She also complained of worse right back pain and underwent transurethral ureterolithotripsy for the right renal pelvic stone. The stone was orange, comparatively soft, and chipped down until it was approximately half of its original size. The stone analysis suggested suspected drug-induced urolithiasis, but not uric acid calculus. Thus, we investigated the stone and SASP using infrared spectroscopy, and the infrared absorption pattern was similar in both. The stone analysis demonstrated drug-induced urolithiasis induced by SASP.The patient's ulcerative colitis therapy was switched to mesalazine, and the amount of urinary alkalizer was increased. Abdominal CT 3 months thereafter showed dissipation of bilateral renal pelvic calculi. The patient did not take any preventative medication, and there was no recurrence of urolithiasis.
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