[Acute interstitial nephritis and kidney failure requiring dialysis after sulfinpyrazone therapy]

We report a case of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) after a six weeks' therapy with sulphinpyrazone (Anturane, Ciba-Geigy, Wien). The patient presented with acute renal failure requiring hemodialysis. He died from acute cardiac failure three days after admission. According to our available information, it seems to be the first case of histologically proven acute interstitial nephritis with renal failure requiring hemodialysis after sulphinpyrazone therapy. Our observation underlines the suggestions made by Butler (7) and Mayrhofer et al. (19): During sulphinpyrazone therapy, serum creatinine and urea concentrations should be controlled regularly; the drug must be discontinued immediately when renal function is worsening; and the drug should not be administered in patients with even slightly impaired renal function.