title: Herbs and the kidney.
abstract: The use of herbal therapy has increased dramatically in past years and may lead to renal injury or various toxic insults, especially in renal patients. In most countries, herbal products are not regulated as medicines. Herbal poisoning may be secondary to the presence of undisclosed drugs or heavy metals, interaction with the pharmacokinetic profile of concomitantly administered drugs, or association with a misidentified herbal species. Various renal syndromes were reported after the use of medicinal plants, including tubular necrosis, acute interstitial nephritis, Fanconi's syndrome, hypokalemia or hyperkalemia, hypertension, papillary necrosis, chronic interstitial nephritis, nephrolithiasis, urinary retention, and cancer of the urinary tract. It seems critical that caregivers be aware of the potential risk of such often underreported therapy and carefully question their patients about their use of this popular branch of alternative medicine.
authors.affiliation: Nephrology Department, Pitié Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France. corinne.bagnis@psl.ap-hop-paris.fr
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Isnard Bagnis
authors.forename: Gilbert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Deray
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baumelou
authors.forename: Moglie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Le Quintrec
authors.forename: Jean Louis
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Vanherweghem
mesh_terms: D034341:Aristolochic Acids / Q000506:poisoning; D001628:Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005198:Fanconi Syndrome / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D006947:Hyperkalemia / Q000209:etiology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D007681:Kidney Papillary Necrosis / Q000209:etiology; D007683:Kidney Tubular Necrosis, Acute / Q000209:etiology; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000209:etiology; D008517:Phytotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000506:poisoning*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D034341:Aristolochic Acids; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C000228:aristolochic acid I