Renal papillary necrosis

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Kidney anatomy

Kidney - blood and urine flow

Necrosis - renal papillae; Renal medullary necrosis

There is no specific treatment for renal papillary necrosis. Treatment depends on the underlying cause. For example, if analgesic nephropathy is suspected as the cause, your doctor will recommend that you stop using the suspected medications. This may allow healing over time.

How well a person does depends on the underlying condition. If the underlying disorder can be controlled, the condition may go away on its own. In some cases, persons with this condition develop kidney failure.

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• Acute kidney failure
• Chronic kidney failure
• Acute unilateral obstructive uropathy
• Chronic unilateral obstructive uropathy
• Acute bilateral obstructive uropathy
• Chronic bilateral obstructive uropathy
• Chronic or recurrent UTI
• Hyperkalemia
• Hypovolemia
• Metabolic acidosis

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have bloody urine. Also call if other symptoms of renal papillary necrosis develop, especially after taking over-the-counter pain medications.

Review Date: 08/17/2009
Reviewed By: Parul Patel, MD, Private Practice specializing in Nephrology and Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation, Affiliated with California Pacific Medical Center, Department of Transplantation, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org).