Acute renal failure with severe loin pain and patchy renal ischemia after anaerobic exercise

There are two known types of exercise-induced acute renal failure. One is the long-known myoglobinuria-induced acute renal failure due to severe rhabdomyolysis, and the other is the recently recognized non-myoglobinuria-induced acute renal failure with mild rhabdomyolysis. Exercise-induced acute renal failure was first reported in 1982. Non-myoglobinuria-induced acute renal failure is associated with severe low back pain and patchy renal vasoconstriction, and it is termed post-exercise acute renal failure because it usually occurs hours after exercise. It is also called acute renal failure with severe loin pain and patchy renal ischemia after anaerobic exercise (ALPE).

To makes a significant contribution to medical literature as it presents a study that investigated a not-widely-known type of exercise-induced acute renal failure known as ALPE.

We performed a database search selecting papers published in the English or Japanese language. A database search was lastly accessed on September 1, 2022. The results of this study were compared with those reported in other case series.

The study evaluated renal hypouricemia as a key risk factor of ALPE. The development of ALPE is due to the sum of risk factors such as exercise, hypouricemia, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, vasopressors, and dehydration.

In conclusion, hypouricemia plays a key role in the development of ALPE and is often associated with anaerobic exercise. The development of ALPE is a result of the cumulative effects of risk factors such as exercise, hypouricemia, NSAIDs, vasopressors, and dehydration.