RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Acute kidney injury and ‘nephrotoxins’: mind your language
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 384
OP 386
DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.18-5-384
VO 18
IS 5
A1 Mike Jones
A1 Charles Tomson
YR 2018
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/18/5/384.abstract
AB The introduction of the term ‘acute kidney injury’ (AKI) along with an international classification scheme,1 caused some initial confusion, but most clinicians and many patients now understand that the term ‘injury’ denotes damage to the internal workings of the kidney, rather than physical trauma. However, of greater concern is the use of the term ‘nephrotoxic’ to include drugs that are, in most settings, nephroprotective. We argue that this imprecise terminology, unfortunately adopted by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) among others, is potentially harmful, and that the terms ‘nephrotoxin’ and ‘nephrotoxic’ should not be used to describe haemodynamically mediated and fully reversible effects of some drugs on excretory function.