title: Rosuvastatin-induced acute interstitial nephritis.
abstract: We report a case of acute interstitial nephritis (AIN), most likely induced by rosuvastatin, in an 83-year-old male patient. The patient underwent angioplasty of the left internal carotid artery, after which he began a regimen of rosuvastatin (20 mg/day). After 3 weeks the patient was admitted to our unit for acute renal failure with mild proteinuria with negligible urinary sediment. A left kidney biopsy showed dense interstitial infiltrates, mainly composed of lymphocytes with evident tubulitis. Rosuvastatin withdrawal plus prednisolone (1 mg/kg/day) treatment, which was slowly tapered over a period of 4 weeks, allowed for a complete recovery of renal function. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of rosuvastatin-induced AIN. Acute renal failure is associated with a clear increase in morbidity, length of hospital stay and mortality. Moreover, since statins are among the most widely prescribed drugs in Western countries, we think that the risk of AIN should be taken into account as a possible side effect of rosuvastatin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology and Dialysis, Ospedale S. Andrea, La Spezia, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Londrino
authors.forename: Tito
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zattera
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Falqui
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Corbani
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cavallini
authors.forename: Teseo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Stefanini
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Chiappini
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ardini
authors.forename: Valentina
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martina
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rombolà
keywords: Acute interstitial nephritis; Acute kidney injury; Rosuvastatin