Some Herbal Medicines May Pose Kidney Failure Risk, Study

Researchers are warning that millions of people may be exposed to the risk of developing kidney failure and bladder cancer by taking herbal medicines that are widely available in Asia.

AsianScientist (Mar. 19, 2013) – Researchers in the U.K. are warning that millions of people may be exposed to the risk of developing kidney failure and bladder cancer by taking herbal medicines that are widely available in Asia.

Some traditional medicines, which are used for a wide range of conditions including slimming, asthma, and arthritis, contain a plant compound called aristolochic acid. The compound has been linked to many cases of kidney diseases and urothelial cancer, a form of cancer of which bladder cancer is the most known variant.

The scientists reviewed worldwide cases of aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN) – a type of kidney failure caused by the intake of these acids – and suggest that there may be many thousands of cases across Asia that are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed.

Products containing aristolochic acid are now banned in the United States and many European countries but the herbs can still be bought in China and other countries in Asia and are also available worldwide over the internet.

In the paper, published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, the authors reviewed the latest data on the epidemiology of AAN. They used several search engines to include all publications that are about or refer to aristolochic acid and Chinese herbal nephropathy and identified 42 different case studies and one trial relating to the management of the disease.

While explaining the origin and development of the disease, they propose a protocol which should make it easier to diagnose AAN. In addition, they suggest a new disease classification to help international clinicians better identify AAN patients, and draft guidelines for the treatment of these patients.

“We have found evidence that many millions of people continue to be exposed to significant health risk due to these herbal medicines, widely used in China and India,” said lead author Professor Graham Lord, Director of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Center (BRC) at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. “There is also a striking lack of good quality evidence that might help guide the diagnosis and management of AAN.”

The article can be found at: Gökmen MR et al. (2013) The Epidemiology, Diagnosis, and Management of Aristolochic Acid Nephropathy: A Narrative Review.

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Source: KCL; Photo: jadis1958/Flickr/CC.
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