Kidney Biopsy Proven Thrombotic Microangiopathy Induced by Methamphetamine

Intern Med. 2024 Jun 1;63(11):1603-1608. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.2143-23. Epub 2023 Oct 20.

Abstract

A 47-year-old man was admitted to our hospital with acute kidney injury, severe hypertension, heart failure, thrombocytopenia, and elevated lactate dehydrogenase. Renal biopsy revealed fibrin thrombi within the glomerular capillaries and moderate fibrotic intimal thickening in the interlobular arteries. The histological diagnosis was thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA). Regarding cardiac involvement, we found marked stenosis in the left anterior descending artery on coronary angiography and cardiomyopathy on myocardial biopsy. Blood concentrations of amphetamine and methamphetamine were high (14.1 ng/mL and 333 ng/mL, respectively). It is important to consider methamphetamine as a cause of renal TMA and multi-organ dysfunction.

Keywords: acute kidney injury; methamphetamine; thrombotic microangiopathy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Biopsy
  • Humans
  • Kidney* / pathology
  • Male
  • Methamphetamine* / adverse effects
  • Middle Aged
  • Thrombotic Microangiopathies* / chemically induced
  • Thrombotic Microangiopathies* / diagnosis
  • Thrombotic Microangiopathies* / pathology

Substances

  • Methamphetamine