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Lambrecht GL, Malbrain ML, Coremans P, Verbist L, Verhaegen H.
“Acute renal infarction and heavy marijuana smoking”.
Nephron. 1995;70(4):494-6.
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Abstract
The first case of acute renal infarction in a patient with heavy marijuana smoking is described. The patient had no concomitant previous medical history. There was no evidence of a primary or secondary hypercoagulable state. Underlying neoplasm was excluded. Recovery was associated with normalization of transaminases and lactic dehydrogenase but with a persistent triangular hypoechogenic area in the right kidney. The combination of marijuana-associated alterations in systemic blood pressure due to peripheral vasodilation, functional anemia and an adrenergic effect might have been the cause of the arteria renalis thrombosis in our patient, but the real underlying pathophysiological mechanism still remains unresolved.
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| Comments and Responses to this Article | # earth
Nov 30, 2004
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Case Reports Are Not Enough
A more recent look at this issue by Vupputuri et al, found 'Use of marijuana, amphetamines, heroin, and other drugs was associated with elevated, but not statistically significant, risks for mild kidney function decline.'
Drug Watch Oregon's speculative comments about this 1995 case not withstanding, there is no current evidence that cannabis use is associated with statistically significant increase in rates of kidney problems. Given the truly massive number of cannabis users in the United States, finding a single or a small number of individuals who both have kidney problems and smoke cannabis cannot be used to determine a causal connection.
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