Is analgesic nephropathy still a problem in Belgium?

End-stage renal failure due to analgesic nephropathy still frequently occurs in Belgium. In a study conducted at the end of 1984 including 53 of the 54 dialysis centres, a prevalence of analgesic nephropathy in dialysis patients of 17.9% was found. The epicentre of the disease was situated in a small area in the northern part of the country, the southern part showed a clearly lower prevalence. The annual consumption of analgesic preparations in 1983 was approximatively 25 g per capita, in the north as well as in the south. In the north analgesic mixtures in powder form had an important market share in some particular areas, where the prevalence of end-stage renal failure due to analgesic nephropathy is the greatest. A general population survey (n = 855) showed that 83% of subjects had analgesic medications at home. Abuse of these drugs was found in 2.1% of the studied population. Abusers were mainly females most commonly taking analgesic mixtures.