Aspirin and analgesic nephropathy
R. D. Emkey and J. A. Mills
To assess the effects of long-term aspirin ingestion on renal function, we
studied all of the patients at the Massachusetts General Hospital Arthritis
Clinic who had been taking aspirin continuously for ten or more years.
Aspirin ingestion was documented by multiple, random, unannounced blood
salicylate levels. Most of these 46 patients had seropositive rheumatoid
arthritis. All creatinine and BUN levels were normal. Maximum recorded
specific gravities were greater than 1.019 in 43 of 46 patients. These data
suggest that long-term salicylate ingestion does not cause renal damage.