Acute Interstitial Nephritis in a Patient Using Herbal Product

Aims: Acute interstitial nephritis is one of the most common causes of acute kidney injury. Many herbal products have been associated with kidney damage but the Melaleuca product has never been reported in medical literature.

Presentation of Case: A 59-year-old woman arrives to the emergency department with nausea and generalized discomfort. Relevant medical history of hypertension with captopril and a non-specified anxiety disorder with paroxetine and clonazepam. Patient mentioned Melaleuca’s Recover AI® consumption and ciprofloxacin suspended 10 days before arriving to the emergency department. The rapid deterioration of renal function in the context of a previously healthy patient made it necessary to take a biopsy to establish a diagnosis and start treatment with immunosuppressant’s, obtaining a good response with a favorable clinical evolution.

Discussion: The use of herbal products is increasing in many countries and patients do not consider these as potentially harmful. These products have been associated with liver damage and in rare cases, such as ours, to kidney damage.

Conclusion: Physicians are obligated to interrogate intentionally about the consumption of herbal products and always consider them as a possible etiology of acute kidney injury secondary to acute interstitial nephritis.