title: Phentermine induced acute interstitial nephritis.
abstract: Acute interstitial nephritis (AIN) has a number of medication-related aetiologies. Antibiotics, proton pump inhibitors and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are common causes; however, any medication has the potential to cause drug-induced AIN. We report the first case of phentermine-induced AIN. A Caucasian woman aged 43 years presented with a 5-week history of lethargy, left-sided lower abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. She had been taking phentermine for weight loss for 9 months and had recently ceased the medication. The patient underwent a renal biopsy that showed a predominantly lymphohistiocytic interstitial infiltrate with a moderate number of eosinophils consistent with AIN. Phentermine is increasingly used for weight loss in obese patients. This is the first case implicating phentermine as the causative agent for drug-induced AIN. While rare, phentermine-induced AIN is a possible adverse reaction of phentermine. Physicians and patients need to be aware of this risk.
authors.affiliation: University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Emily Ximin
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3762-7109
authors.initials: EX
authors.lastname: Shao
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Gregory John
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Dwarakanathan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ranganathan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009395:Nephritis, Interstitial / Q000139:chemically induced*; D009765:Obesity / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010645:Phentermine / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D010645:Phentermine