Acute Kidney Injury in Autoimmune-Mediated Rheumatic Diseases

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is increasingly affecting hospitalized patients worldwide. Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases, although primarily impacted by functional impairment and sometimes structural damage to joints, bones, and muscle tissue, may also develop AKI during the course of their disease. This narrative review aimed to summarize potential causes of AKI and the associated disease patterns. The following databases were searched for references: PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Scopus. The search period covered from 1958 to 2024. Certain inflammatory rheumatic diseases increase the risk of AKI due to specific types of kidney disease. However, the most common conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis and spondylarthritis, rarely cause AKI directly. Among the medications used for pain and sometimes disease activity control, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can potentially induce AKI, even progressing to acute tubular necrosis. There is evidence that certain rheumatic diseases are associated with increased risk of AKI, independently of directly affecting kidney function or structure. However, the data on this topic are quite limited. AKI is a potentially significant issue for patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Additional data on the increased risk of AKI, independent of direct kidney involvement, are needed.