Capillarosclerosis of the renal pelvis: autopsy study for estimating the incidence of phenacetin and paracetamol abuse.

This prospective study, carried out in an unselected autopsy series of 700 adults who died in or around Wuppertal, showed distinct capillarosclerosis of renal pelvic mucosa in 3% of all cases. In that renal capillarosclerosis is a partial morphologic marker of phenacetin and/or paracetamol abuse, the findings indicate that the incidence of analgesic abuse in hospitalized patients in our area is at least 3%. The incidence of renal pelvic capillarosclerosis was 1.5 times greater in females than in males.