Cocaine use, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease

Cocaine use has been associated with both acute renal failure and hypertens ion (HTN), but only recently have data suggested it may lead to a chronic i nsidious form of renal failure. We designed a cross-sectional study to comp are the association of cocaine use in hemodialysis patients with and withou t a diagnosis of HTN-related end-stage renal disease (HTN-ESRD). Two hundre d one black patients from two outpatient hemodialysis units in an urban com munity were evaluated. There were 193 eligible patients, 106 men and 87 wom en, aged 49.28 +/- 14.4 years. A history of significant cocaine use before dialysis was reported by 55 of 193 subjects (28.5%). A diagnosis of HTN-ESR D was reported in 49 of 55 cocaine users (89.1%) compared with 64 of 138 no nusers (46.38%; odds ratio, 9.44; 95% confidence interval, 3.79 to 23.49; P < 0.0005). Of the 113 subjects with HTN-ESRD, 49 subjects (43.4%) had a hi story of cocaine abuse, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Su bjects with HTN-ESRD with cocaine use were younger than those without cocai ne use (40.7 +/- 9.0 versus 53.8 +/- 15.3 years; P < 0.0005) and had a shor ter reported duration of HTN (5.3 +/- 5.4 versus 12.7 +/- 9.8 years; P < 0. 0005, adjusted for age and sex). In our urban dialysis population, a clinic al diagnosis of HTN-ESRD was strongly associated with a history of cocaine use and earlier onset of ESRD. Cocaine should be considered as a cause of E SRD in patients without a clear cause of renal failure. (C) 2001 by the Nat ional Kidney Foundation, Inc.